The school board Monday voted to repair a boiler for Oxford Center School after receiving three bids on the project this month.
Board members unanimously voted to accept the bid of Middlebury-based Connecticut Combustion for a base price of $32,380.
“It’s been a project that’s sorely needed,” John Lavin, the board’s secretary, said during Monday’s special meeting.
Board Chairman Rose McKinnon said the boiler replacement has been “long-awaited.”
William Neary, the board’s vice chairman, said bids from three firms were opened at a meeting of the board’s Facilities Subcommittee this month.
Two other bids came in at about $57,000 and $55,000, Neary said.
The $32,380 figure could rise between about $2,000 and $4,000 depending on whether additional components are needed once the replacement work begins.
“We’re not going to know what we’re going to find until we take it apart,” McKinnon said in explaining why the bid was designed the way it was.
One of the bids did not include pricing for the possible variations, and between the two bids left, McKinnon said the decision came down to price.
“By and large it was the dollar amount,” she said, also noting that Connecticut Combustion has worked in Oxford schools before.
