Durham schools approve $1.1 million in boiler replacements as federal funds near expiration

Durham Public Schools will replace aging heating systems at three campuses using pandemic-relief funding that must be spent by the end of 2026, as the district continues to address mechanical systems across an aging building portfolio.
Sept. 22, 2026
3 min read
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Key Highlights

  • The district is replacing boilers at Hillandale Elementary, Oak Grove Elementary, and Riverside High School with $1.1 million in ARPA funds.
  • The projects aim to address aging, deteriorated heating systems that are no longer reliably maintained.
  • These upgrades are part of a broader $6 million effort to improve HVAC, safety, and mechanical systems across Durham schools.
  • The boiler replacements must be completed by the end of 2026 before federal pandemic-relief funding expires.
  • Additional boiler and HVAC projects are underway at Southern High School and Neal Middle School, with bids opening soon.
Courtesy of Ildar Sagdejev
Exterior of brick building housing Durham County School office with accessibility ramp leading to entrance.

Durham Public Schools Central Services in Durham, North Carolina by Ildar Sagdejev, CC BY-SA 4.0 (image cropped to fit).

Durham Public Schools has approved approximately $1.1 million in boiler replacements at three of its North Carolina campuses, moving ahead with the projects as federal pandemic-relief funding approaches its year-end expiration.

The work will replace boilers at Hillandale Elementary School, Oak Grove Elementary School, and Riverside High School—all three of which were previously identified as part of a group of projects with urgent mechanical and environmental improvements that would be supported by funding from the American Rescue Plan Act, according a letter from the County Manager in Durham.

The Durham Board of Education approved the boiler replacements at its Aug. 27 meeting, with local reporting estimating the combined costs at about $1.1 million. The projects are being financed with ARPA dollars that expire at the end of 2026.

Aging boilers are becoming harder to maintain

District officials explained to ABC11 that the heating systems have deteriorated to the point that routine maintenance is no longer sufficient to keep them operating reliably. The issue comes against the backdrop of an aging school inventory where the average Durham school building is 59 years old.

Durham Public Schools had already solicited contractors for the three projects earlier this summer. The scope called for replacing existing boilers, pumps, and associated equipment, along with providing electrical power to the new systems.

$6 million ARPA allocation targets school facilities

The boiler projects are part of a broader $6 million Durham County ARPA subgrant for school capital improvements. The county said the funding is supporting eight projects focused on HVAC upgrades and maintenance, safety systems, and other mechanical and environmental repairs.

Why it matters

Durham’s boiler projects illustrate the challenge districts face when aging mechanical systems, deferred renewal needs, and temporary funding sources intersect. Federal pandemic-relief dollars gave the district an opportunity to replace systems that otherwise would have competed for limited local capital funding, but the Dec. 31 deadline means facilities teams also have to move projects through procurement, construction, commissioning, and closeout on a compressed schedule.

Boilers and HVAC controls may lack the visibility of a new school or major renovation, but failures can quickly affect heating, hot water, indoor environmental conditions, and school operations. When the average building in a district is approaching six decades old, replacing individual systems becomes part of a continuing capital-renewal strategy rather than a one-time repair.

In addition to boiler replacements at Hillandale and Oak Grove, the county’s project list includes boiler and HVAC controls replacements at Riverside High and Hope Valley Elementary, as well as a fire and life-safety alert system replacement at Githens Middle School. Some of the funding also supports districtwide initiatives, according to the County Manager.

The federal funding creates both an opportunity and a deadline for the district. ABC11 reported that the three boiler projects must be completed by the end of the year because the temporary funding supporting them expires at the end of 2026.

Boiler work continues elsewhere in the district

The three campuses receiving upgrades aren’t the only ones, however; Durham’s boiler replacement needs extend beyond the ones approved in August.  In September, the district opened another solicitation for boiler replacements at Southern High School and Neal Middle School. That work calls for removing existing boilers, pumps, vent piping, and related equipment and installing new gas-fired condensing boilers, pumps, piping, controls, gas-monitoring systems, and associated electrical improvements.

Bids for the Southern High and Neal Middle projects are scheduled to open Oct. 13.

This piece was created with the help of generative AI tools and edited by our content team for clarity and accuracy.
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