On August 9, 2025, members of the Newton Highlands Congregational Church, UCC, Council voted to approve an expenditure of approximately $90,000 to replace the two church boilers and a hot water heater.
One of the two boilers had failed in recent months and was deemed beyond repair, so the church no longer had a backup if the remaining boiler failed.
Treasurer Jim Harper worked on this project as an ex officio member of the Building and Grounds Committee (B&G). He originally requested bids from TAG Heating & Cooling (the church’s regular vendor) and another company. The bids came in widely apart ($65,625 versus $117,695), but they were based on different sized boilers.
At the suggestion of architect Dennis Rieske, Mr. Harper hired an engineering firm to do a heat-loss calculation in order to determine the appropriate boiler size.
TAG resubmitted its bid with larger boilers, for $84,820. In addition, TAG proposed replacing the oversized water heater with a 45-gallon storage tank, heated by the main boilers, for an additional $4,521.
Mr. Harper and and B&G chair Misha Hill recommended to Council that they accept TAG’s proposal. A decision needed to be made in the summer so the broken boiler could be replaced before the start of the heating season, and the affirmative vote took place in August.
Tag will work on the replacement in late September, to coincide with the changeover from AC to heating.