Lone Bid of $94,888 Would Replace Historic Courthouse Boiler, Most of It Grant-Paid

Montgomery County Board Buildings & Grounds Committee Meeting | July 7, 2026

Article Summary: The Montgomery County Board Buildings & Grounds Committee on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, opened a single sealed bid — $94,888 from Henson Robinson Company of Springfield — to replace the inoperable boiler in the Historic Courthouse, and voted to recommend awarding it. The county was told $78,050 of the cost will be reimbursed by the DCEO Energy Transition Grant.

Historic Courthouse Boiler Replacement Key Points:

• One bid was opened, for $94,888 from Henson Robinson Company of Springfield; the minutes describe it as the “low bid.”
• $78,050 of the cost will be reimbursed by the DCEO Energy Transition Grant, leaving the county roughly $17,000 to carry.
• Motion by Keith Hancock, second by Connie Beck, to recommend awarding the bid; all in favor, motion carried.
• The specification requires a Smith Model G28HE-S-6 boiler with a 10-year parts and labor warranty, a new water softener, and a contractor with prior Smith boiler experience.

MONTGOMERY COUNTY — Committee Vice Chair Russ Beason opened one envelope on Tuesday morning, and the Montgomery County Board Buildings & Grounds Committee learned what it will cost to put heat back in the Historic Courthouse.

The bid, from Henson Robinson Company of Springfield, is $94,888 to replace the inoperable boiler in the building at #1 Courthouse Square in Hillsboro. The committee on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, voted to recommend awarding it, on a motion by Keith Hancock seconded by Connie Beck. All in favor; motion carried.

Of that total, $78,050 will be reimbursed by the DCEO Energy Transition Grant, according to the minutes — leaving the county to carry roughly $17,000 of a project approaching $95,000.

It was the only bid opened. The minutes record no other bidder, and the motion nonetheless characterizes the figure as the low bid. Whether any other contractor submitted, declined, or was never approached is not recorded.

What the County Asked For

The specification is among the committee’s handouts, and it is exacting.

The county sought sealed bids for the removal and replacement of the existing boiler and condensate tank — the vessel that, in a steam system, generally collects water after it has given up its heat so it can be sent back and heated again — plus installation of a water softener for the make-up water. Bids were due by 4:00 p.m. Monday, July 6, 2026, at the County Board Administrative Office in Room 202 of the Historic Courthouse, to be opened at the committee’s 8:30 a.m. meeting the following morning.

The scope calls for removing the existing gas-fired cast iron boiler and its condensate tank assembly; disconnecting gas, steam and condensate water piping, flue piping, electrical wiring and controls; and installing a new 1,500mbh boiler, Smith Model G28HE-S-6, with a properly sized condensate tank. The new boiler must be gas-fired and must carry a 10-year parts and labor warranty. Startup is to be performed by a Smith certified technician.

The county also imposed an experience requirement. The installing contractor must have prior experience with the installation of Smith boilers, and must submit with its bid a list of every boiler replacement project using Smith boilers it has completed in the last 36 months.

The specification invokes the Prevailing Wage Act, 820 ILCS 130 — the statute that generally requires contractors on public works to pay the wage rates prevailing locally for each craft — and directs bidders to the Illinois Department of Labor’s rate tables.

What the Bidder Offered

Henson Robinson’s proposal, dated July 6, 2026, is a one-page letter on the letterhead of a firm that describes itself as employee owned and in business since 1861, with offices in Springfield and Champaign. It is signed by John Terneus.

The proposal lists 14 items of work: demolition of the existing Smith cast iron boiler; installation of the new cast iron boiler; replacement of the boiler feed and condensate tank; a new water softener; gas, steam and condensate piping; insulation on near-boiler piping back to existing insulation; reconnection to the existing brick flue with matching materials per manufacturer acceptance; all wiring and electrical work including an emergency shut-off switch per code; a back draft damper; skim piping to be installed, used and removed; a basic flush and blow down; a startup and combustion efficiency report; and basic owner training. All work would be performed during normal working hours.

The bid documents are listed as a site visit, existing drawings, a scope description and equipment submittals. The proposal states it may be withdrawn if not accepted within 30 days.

A separate sheet lists five Smith boiler references: North Mac Schools, the Leland Building, the Illinois State Police Evidence Vault, the Dominican Sisters of Springfield and the Hoogland Center. Each carries a contact name, phone number and email. None carries a date, so the sheet on its face does not establish that the projects fall within the 36 months the specification requires.

What Happens Next

The committee cannot award a contract. Its vote is a recommendation, and the item goes to the full County Board. No money moves, no contract binds and no boiler is ordered until the full board acts.

The boiler is one of several claims on the county’s capital attention this summer. The same committee voted the same morning to recommend replacing an inoperable incinerator at Animal Control and awarding a ramp and porch replacement at 127 N. Main, and asked its maintenance director to seek bids to reroof the Animal Control building.

Four of the committee’s six members attended: Beck, Hancock, Roy Schieferdecker and Beason, who led the pledge. Cody Gudgel and Mark Hughes were absent, as was Board Chairman Doug Donaldson. There were no public comments. The meeting adjourned at 9:33 a.m.