(file photo/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Angela Brown

New plant condenser

City approves purchase of new ice plant condenser for ACC arena

Nov 30, 2022 | 12:40 PM

North Battleford city council gave its approval for the city to purchase a new ice plant condenser for the Access Communications Centre (ACC) arena.

The cost, estimated at $150,000, was pre-approved for the city’s 2023 capital budget at council’s regular meeting this week.

Parks and recreation dept. director Cheryl DeNeire said in her report the current water-cooled plant condenser failed on Nov. 16 and was replaced with a temporary air-cooled condenser on Nov. 21.

“The failed condenser has a pin-sized hole in it, which is allowing ammonia to leak into the water in the condenser,” she said. “This type of failure cannot be easily located or fixed. It is also an indication of a possibility that other pinholes exist or will shortly.”

The city was able to make a temporary repair for the interim until a more permanent solution was found for the future.

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DeNeire noted the existing unit is over 20 years old, which means it is near the end of its lifecycle, so the new unit was needed.

With the purchase now pre-approved for the 2023 budget, the city will now be able to issue a Request for Proposals for the project and start the process, so the item can then be installed around the spring or summer of 2023.

DeNeire said the city can keep using the current temporary air-cooled unit until the end of the current ice season, as a short-term temporary measure.

The new larger unit will be water-cooled rather than air-cooled, so it will also be able to function during warmer temperatures in the spring as well.

City fleet and maintenance manager Seton Winterholt discussed some of the details during the meeting.

He said the city might be able to obtain the new condenser for the arena in around three to five months, less time than originally estimated, by contracting out the installation work separately, after the city secures the unit.

Winterholt said if council pre-approved the purchase now, administration could obtain the condenser as soon as possible, which would help mitigate the risk of any interruptions for the next ice season.

Council supported administration’s resolution to pre-approve the 2023 capital budget request for a plant condenser for the ACC in the amount of $150,000.

Coun. Kelli Hawtin noted the ask was already included in the city’s proposed budget draft document for next year.

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Angela.Brown@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow