Hammond panel approves HVAC recommissioning at Sportsplex to address overpressurization

The Hammond Redevelopment Commission on April 1 approved a proposal from Bauer Construction to recommission heating, ventilation and air-conditioning equipment at the Hammond Sportsplex, addressing a building overpressurization problem and adding remote monitoring.

City Engineer Dean Button told commissioners that one HVAC unit’s damper had been stuck open, sending too much outside air into the building and causing the roof membrane to inflate and deflate. He said the contractor has adjusted the damper, installed pressure monitoring and recommended resetting controls to factory settings and formally recommissioning the system. Button said the work would also connect the Sportsplex to the city's building automation system (BAS) so staff can monitor equipment remotely.

"We've taken remedial action to place some weights on top of the roof," Button said, and the contractor "set the damper to not open fully" pending full recommissioning. He estimated the cost at "about $28,000" but said he had not brought the exact figure to the meeting. Button also told the commission the roof has shown leakage since the expansion project began and that recommissioning is a corrective step ahead of any roof repairs.

Commissioners asked few technical questions. Commissioner Kubacki made the motion to approve the Bauer Construction proposal; Commissioner Mosley Shelton seconded. The roll call vote was five in favor, none opposed.

The commission's formal action authorized the recommissioning work and connection to the BAS. No link to a specific funding source or contract number was provided in the meeting record; the city engineer supplied the project rationale and the cost estimate.