Strongsville council approves $7.55 million note, NOPEC grant and energy-performance agreement for building upgrades

Strongsville City Council voted March 17 to accept a Northeast Ohio Public Energy Council (NOPEC) grant of $111,669 and to authorize up to $7,550,000 in notes to fund HVAC, lighting and control upgrades at city facilities, and approved an energy performance agreement to begin the work.

Council member Kaminski introduced the NOPEC grant item, saying, "The recommendation this evening is suspension and adoption, and that request is for $111,669." Finance staff and council members described the broader financing plan as a single package that combines the grant, a note to raise short-term funds and a performance agreement with a contractor to install equipment and capture savings.

Finance department representative Dean told the council the bulk of the $7,550,000 note is for the recreation center: "The total of 7.5, actually, $6,200,000 of that is the rec center. That includes the Dectron unit, the HVAC air handling, the boilers." Dean said the recreation center is about 27–28 years old and noted the building’s insured value at $44,500,000. He said the work also addresses needs at the police station, the service garage and other city facilities, and includes new lighting and sealing to reduce heating and cooling losses.

A staff member identified as Neil said the financing structure includes a savings component and a 20-year term: "That's one of the things that is in the agreement that talks about those guarantees in terms of the saving over the course of ... 20 years." Council and staff identified Brewer Garrett as the company that would perform and oversee the work; staff described remote monitoring and centralized control upgrades that will allow the city to schedule heating and lighting and to troubleshoot units remotely.

Council members asked about warranties for equipment on a 20-year note. A council member said, "Did they ... give us a warranty or anything on how long these units last for?" Staff answered that warranties are issued by equipment manufacturers and said the city does not have a manufacturer warranty that extends for the 20-year note: "A lot of it is warranted by the manufacturer, but I do not know if it's 5 years, 10 years, 12 years. I don't know." The record shows Brewer Garrett will remain engaged across installation and initial maintenance phases.

Mayor Perciak urged confidence in the contractor selection: "I feel confident that it's the right way to go," he said, citing the company’s prior work for local public institutions.

Votes at a glance: The council took roll-call votes to suspend the rules and adopt the three related ordinances. All three measures passed unanimously in the roll calls recorded at the meeting.

- Ordinance 20 25 30: Authorizes the mayor to enter into a grant agreement with the Northeast Ohio Public Energy Council for lighting enhancement projects at the Walter F. Earnfelt recreation and senior center and the Strongsville Town Center; grant amount $111,669; outcome: adopted (unanimous). Motion to suspend and adopt moved by Council member Carbone and seconded by Council member Kaminski.

- Ordinance 20 25 31: Authorizes issuance and sale of notes not to exceed $7,550,000 to pay costs of constructing and installing energy conservation measures and other improvements to city buildings and infrastructure; outcome: adopted (unanimous). Motion to suspend and adopt moved by Council member Carbone and seconded by Council member Kaminski.

- Ordinance 20 25 32: Authorizes the mayor to execute an energy performance agreement to implement the city's energy conservation and building improvement project; outcome: adopted (unanimous). Motion to suspend and adopt moved by Council member Carbone and seconded by Council member Kaminski.

The council and staff framed the financing as using projected energy and lighting savings to offset debt-service costs over time. Staff said the Dectron pool unit replacement alone is roughly $2,000,000 and that a failure of the existing 27-year-old unit could force an extended pool closure. The record shows some warranty lengths were unknown at the meeting; staff said warranties are manufacturer-issued and that Brewer Garrett will remain involved to help ensure systems operate as intended.

Council members did not take additional separate approvals beyond the ordinances passed March 17. Implementation will proceed under the performance agreement and the mayor's execution of the contract as authorized by the ordinances.