Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School

Challenge: Protecting a Public School District’s Critical Heating Infrastructure

The Hamilton-Wenham Regional School District serves students and families across the Hamilton and Wenham communities in northeastern Massachusetts. As a public school system responsible for maintaining safe, reliable learning environments, the district depends on uninterrupted heating performance throughout New England’s harsh winter months.

At Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School, the existing boiler plant had reached the end of its reliable service life. Boiler 1 had already been taken completely out of service, and Boilers 2 and 3 had numerous replacement sections, creating growing maintenance challenges and reducing system redundancy. The aging equipment was increasingly difficult to maintain and posed a significant risk of failure during peak winter demand — a scenario that could have resulted in emergency shutdowns or temporary school closures.

Additional challenges included:

• Existing pumps without variable drives, limiting system efficiency
• A congested mechanical layout with unnecessary overhead piping
• Tight access constraints that complicated equipment removal and installation
• The need to perform all work within an occupied educational facility

The district required a carefully planned replacement strategy that would modernize the heating system, improve efficiency and redundancy, and eliminate the risk of winter outages — all while maintaining uninterrupted school operations.

Analysis & Solution

The replacement system was designed by the project’s consulting engineer, and ATCO was awarded the project through a competitive public bidding process in accordance with Massachusetts public procurement requirements.

As the lowest responsible and responsive bidder, ATCO demonstrated the technical qualifications and project approach required to successfully execute the installation within an active school environment.

ATCO’s scope included:

• Demolition and dismantling of existing boiler equipment for removal
• Installation of new boilers and associated hydronic piping systems
• Integration with the existing heating distribution system
• Installation coordination within tight-access mechanical spaces
• Startup support and commissioning coordination
• Collaboration with subcontractors, suppliers, and facility personnel

Because access limitations prevented standard equipment delivery, ATCO installed a fixed gantry inside the boiler room to allow the new boilers to be set in place without dismantling them — preserving equipment integrity and improving installation efficiency.

ATCO also streamlined the new layout by eliminating unnecessary overhead piping, creating a cleaner, more serviceable configuration that enhances long-term maintainability.

Careful construction sequencing and coordination ensured that the school remained operational throughout the project.

Results

The completed boiler plant now provides Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School with:

• Improved system reliability and redundancy
• Increased energy efficiency compared to legacy equipment
• Reduced maintenance risk and lifecycle costs
• Stable, dependable winter heating performance
• A clean, organized, serviceable mechanical layout

By eliminating the risk of heating failure and modernizing critical infrastructure, ATCO delivered a long-term solution designed for durability, efficiency, and ease of service.

Most importantly, the project was completed without disruption to school operations — demonstrating ATCO’s ability to execute complex mechanical upgrades in occupied public facilities with precision and care.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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