Allen Community College trustees crossed off a pair of pricey to-do items Tuesday, dealing with resurfacing the parking lot and replacing an aging boiler at the Iola campus.
Trustees accepted a bid from McConnell & Associates, North Kansas City, Mo., to mill and overlay the parking for $628,000.
The McConnell bid was the lower of two.
Ryan Sigg, director of plant operations, explained that the mill and overlay option was preferable to a simple “crack-and-seal” repair because of the extent of damage.
The last major repair to the parking lot was in 2008, he said, and those types of surfaces typically have a 15-year life span.
He noted McConnell also offered to return to Iola periodically — probably every three or four years — to repair and reseal any cracks and restripe the lot when necessary.
Trustees also accepted a bid from Anderson Plumbing to replace an old and leaking boiler near the gymnasium.
The college was at risk of being written up by the state fire marshal’s office because the Lochinvar boiler’s aging infrastructure would leak during wet weather.
“It needs to be replaced,” Sigg said.
The boiler is so old, Sigg added, that parts are no longer available. It has been taken out of service.
Anderson’s bid of $37,555.90 for a pair of 100-gallon A.O. Smith boilers was the lower of two.
Having a pair of boilers will add a necessary redundancy for the building in case the first breaks down, he added.
ROOM and board rates will rise for the 2023-24 school year, to $6,570 annually, to cover the higher costs of food.
The higher rates will allow for students to eat as many as 19 meals a week in the ACC cafeteria.
Students who lived in Allen’s apartment complexes or at Ballard Hall had been part of a 10-meal-a-week plan. Those students also will be granted up to 19 meals a week.
Trustees also slightly tweaked the school’s room and board refund policies for students who leave after the 16th day of classes. Those students will be refunded 25% of their total balance paid, instead of a prorated amount, director of finance and operations Roberta Nickell explained.
The change makes it easier to issue refunds in a seamless manner, Nickell noted, with a minimal difference in what is refunded.
IN A RELATED matter, trustees have reconfigured admissions requirements for international students.
