Council authorizes emergency repair of Riverchase YMCA indoor pool Dectron unit

The City Council on Oct. 12 at a special meeting unanimously approved bill 25-01, which will become ordinance 45-21, authorizing the mayor to execute an agreement for emergency repair of a valve on the Dectron dehumidification/heating unit that serves the indoor pool at Riverchase YMCA.

The repair was described by a staff member as time-sensitive because the unit controls pool heating and humidity; the staff member said certified technicians who can work on the Dectron system are limited and that a specific replacement part had been ordered and received. “This meeting has been called to discuss the needed repairs to the Dectron system, the pool,” the staff member said.

Council members were told the part replacement will require a recharge of refrigerant and that an additional cost for that recharge may be needed, but the exact additional amount was not specified. The staff member said parts pricing is available through the Omnia (cooperative) program but that labor pricing is more favorable under the contractor’s emergency pricing; the staff member gave the quoted repair price as $9,005.83 as stated in the meeting transcript.

Council discussion covered when the unit was installed and past work on the system. The staff member said the current Dectron unit or its repairs date to about February 2018 and noted the city previously paid roughly $150,000 for earlier work related to the unit installation or major replacement; that earlier total was presented as a recollection rather than an itemized figure. Council members asked whether a warranty would cover the new work; staff said the warranty status for the proposed repair was not known and that staff would ask the contractor for warranty details.

At the meeting the city attorney introduced bill 25-01 by ordinance number and purpose. “First, we need a bill 25Dash01. An ordinance authorizing the mayor to execute an agreement with [contractor] for an emergency repair of a valve on the indoor pool, Dectron unit at Riverchase YMCA,” the city attorney said. Alderman Claus moved to waive rules to allow a second reading; Alderman Wissbrack seconded, and the council voted to waive the rules. Claus then moved that bill 25-01 become ordinance 45-21; the motion was seconded by Alderman Breitshaft. A roll-call vote recorded all present aldermen voting aye and the motion carried.

The ordinance authorizes the mayor to execute the emergency repair agreement; the contractor name is variably rendered in the meeting transcript (examples in the transcript include “Daikin,” “Daycon TMI LLC,” and other spellings). The transcript does not supply a definitive, consistently spelled contractor legal name or contract number. Staff said the contractor is one of the few certified to work on the indoor pool’s Dectron system.

The council adjourned after adopting the ordinance. The staff member indicated the part has been received and that scheduling and completion of the repair will follow the executed agreement and contractor availability.