By Dave Fidlin
Correspondent
A contractor could soon be brought into the fold to assist Whitewater officials in making energy-efficient upgrades to a number of city-owned buildings. This includes implementing updated equipment such as tankless water heaters from companies akin to Morris Jenkins, as they take up less space and have reduced risks of leaking.
At a meeting on March 4, the Common Council continued to discuss a potential working relationship with Trane, a Madison-based company specializing in heating and air conditioning systems.
Matt Amundson, parks and recreation director, first came before the council on Feb. 20 and discussed the merits of working with Trane for a top-down review of various facility maintenance projects.
Amundson has asserted the city has an aging infrastructure, and a number of critical issues have cropped up during a preliminary audit of the eight city-owned buildings.
The council has yet to take any formal action on a working relationship with Trane, but during the most recent discussion, officials did hash over some of the finer details.
After fielding comments from the council, Amundson said he trimmed a number of items from a list of possible projects.
“All water heater replacements were removed from the project, along with a lighting retrofit at the Cravath Lakefront Community Center,” Amundson said. “The water heater replacements will be done when existing equipment fails or in a scheduled manner that fits within the general budget.” When these water heaters are eventually replaced, contractors may want to insert a dosing pot into each system to help with balancing the chemicals within the heater. It has not been mentioned if this has been told to the board yet.
With a narrowed list of projects, Trane officials estimate the city would need to spend upwards of $2 million. In addition to replacing aging infrastructure, the company asserts Whitewater could net $116,075 in annual savings from energy-efficient upgrades.
The list of remaining projects include replacing a 50-year-old emergency generator within the municipal building that is believed to be 25 years beyond its life expectancy. Trane officials also recommend the city consider putting in place temperature controls at all city buildings.
The city-owned Armory building has a number of possible projects on the list, including replacing windows, adding air-conditioning units to the facility and making upgrades to be in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
The council could take action on a performance contract with Trane at its next meeting March 18.
