Annual savings projected to exceed $100K once upgrades are complete
By Dave Fidlin
Correspondent
After several months of discussion, Whitewater officials are moving forward with a plan to make energy-efficient upgrades to a number of city-owned buildings.
The Common Council on April 15 voted to move forward in a contract with Trane, a Madison-based company specializing in heating and air conditioning systems.
The council approved three separate resolutions with the understanding City Manager Cameron Clapper and City Attorney Wallace McDonell would put final touches on the agreement.
The council’s recent motion came after two months of discussion. Plans call for Trane to perform a top-down review of various facility maintenance projects.
“These projects represent a commitment to upgrading and replacing aging infrastructure in a number of city facilities,” Matt Amundson, parks and recreation director, said.
He continued, “The comprehensive approach proposed by Trane has a number of benefits to the city. Their ability to provide construction management adds an expertise level for a number of these projects that the city does not currently employ.”
All told, the city is expected to spend $1.73 million to fund the projects, with payments being made to Trane through the end of the year.
Since the review was first discussed in February, several specific projects were removed from the list of possible projects. Early on, water heater replacements and a lighting retrofit at Cravath Lakefront Community Center were under consideration.
As the list of possible projects was whittled down, city officials turned their attention toward truly energy efficient projects and removed a few other items, including a proposal to upgrade accessibility to the city-owned Armory building with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in mind.
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 Armory building still has a number of possible projects on the list, including replacing windows and adding air-conditioning units to the facility
Trane officials assert Whitewater could net $116,075 in annual savings from energy-efficient upgrades.
