By BOB SHRALUKA
WZBD.com
Faced with boilers that are “running wild,” Decatur officials have discussed at length how to best move forward with getting a new HVAC system in the MERIT Center.
The HVAC (heating, ventilation, air conditioning) system currently in the former Northwest School building is antiquated and deteriorating. The city needs to replace it as the MERIT becomes the base for the upcoming countywide transportation system set to begin January 1.
The Council on Aging moved into the building well over a year ago and will operate the transportation setup. As part of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the city and county, the city needs to update the building’s heating/cooling system.
The costs for doing so have risen considerably in recent months and now figure to come in at around $605,000, city Operations Manager Jeremy Gilbert told both the city’s board of works and the city council at their recent back-to-back meetings.
Both the board and council – the latter has the final say – discussed how to proceed with the project; such as, how much can the city afford to have done at this time.
There is no doubt that something has to be done soon. The controls on the boilers are not working “and the boilers are running wild,” Gilbert said. “When it gets cold, you’re going to know it as the gas bills (for heating) come in.”
“Something needs to be done,” Mayor Dan Rickord added. “I was out there today and one room was at 60 degrees and another at 80.”
The building has 55,000 square feet and most of it is being used by various organizations.
The city has received a state READI grant of $290,000 and will get another $200,000 from the county for the land it purchased from the city to build a garage for the transportation system vehicles.
Council decided to move ahead with the project, but it will initially just purchase and install new controls, pumps, and boilers. Approximate costs are estimated to be $252,000 for the controls, $143,900 for the boilers, and $59,163 the pumps.
A chiller for the new HVAC unit will be ordered, but isn’t likely to be received until next fall, Gilbert said. Which means it wouldn’t have to be paid for until then.
Work on installing the controls could begin in two or so weeks, and on the pumps in about four weeks, Gilbert pointed out.
According to information online, “In general, a chiller facilitates the transfer of heat from an internal environment to an external environment. This heat-transfer device relies on the physical state of a refrigerant as it circulates through the chiller system. Certainly, chillers can function as the heart of any central HVAC system.”
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