Boiler purchase OK'd for WMS

The Whitefish School Board March 26 approved a bid of $74,000 to purchase new heating boilers for the middle school.

The current boilers are failing and need replacement. The boilers began malfunctioning about a year and a half ago and since that time it was discovered that the type of boiler system installed is not the correct type.

Last week the board approved the bid from Vemco, Inc. for new boilers from manufacturer Cleaver-Brooks. The school district will now take estimates on installation of the boilers.

“These boilers are what were called for in the original specifications for the building, but are the newest model,” district clerk Danelle Reisch told the board.

A Vemco representative in February estimated the cost of new boilers and installation to be about $130,000.

The funds for the boiler replacement is anticipated to come from the district’s tax increment financing fund for maintenance.