Title
a. Support a change in scope to the Monterey County Chiller Replacement Project at 1200 Aguajito Road in Monterey, Project Number 4041 to replace the water-cooled chilling and tower with an air-cooled chiller; and
b. Support an increase in Capital Funds in the amount of $707,006.
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended the Capital Improvement Committee:
a. Support a change in scope to the Monterey County Chiller Replacement Project at 1200 Aguajito Road in Monterey, Project Number 4041 to replace the water-cooled chilling and tower with an air-cooled chiller; and
b. Support an increase in funding in the amount of $707,006.
SUMMARY:
In Fiscal Year 2020/21, the Board of Supervisors approved $402,994 to the Chiller Replacement Project, which included installation of a new water-cooled chiller, expansion tank, pumps, and ancillary equipment. The project/costs did not include replacement of 150 feet of underground condensing water lines, replacement of the cooling tower or temporary cooling of the building during construction.
During the scoping/design of the Chiller Replacement Project the engineer recommended replacing not only the 120-ton water-cooled chiller but the cooling tower as well. The change in scope increased the project budget by $707,006 for a total project cost of $1.11 million.
The existing cooling tower is obsolete, and parts are difficult to locate. Replacement of the cooling tower has been in the County of Monterey Capital Improvement Program (CIP) for 5 years and was identified in the 2015 Facility Assessment Report as "Critical", meaning immediate replacement recommended.
The advantages of an air-cooled chiller are:
1. Eliminates the cooling tower and the open-loop components of the piping system. It removes all the chemical treatment and ongoing maintenance of keeping the cooling tower operating and free of debris.
2. Eliminates the need to replace the buried condenser water piping or running new piping up the exterior of th...
Click here for full text