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Flat Rock council approves one-year extension of HVAC service contract as stopgap
Summary
Council approved exercising a fourth-year option on the city’s HVAC maintenance contract for City Hall and the recreation center, accepting a roughly 5% price increase and directing staff to pursue longer-term options and quotes.
The Flat Rock City Council approved exercising the fourth-year option on the city’s HVAC maintenance contract for City Hall and the recreation center, councillors and staff said, agreeing to a roughly 5% price increase for the extension and asking staff to prepare longer-term repair and replacement plans.
City staff member Mr. Marcinack presented the recommendation, saying the contractor and the city had discussed the system’s condition and that the fourth-year option was prudently timed while staff develops a capital plan. "At this time, it it seemed prudent that we renew or exercise an extension available in year 4... This will be year 4, for a 5% increase to the current cost," Marcinack told council.
Why the extension: Staff described the building HVAC equipment as very old — roughly a 50-year-old system with pneumatic controls — and said some units are original to the building. Marcinack and other staff described recurring mechanical failures, part-obsolescence for older components and spotty vendor support for legacy equipment. Staff said the vendor will also perform a control study and help develop a long-term plan to replace aging units.
Council discussion and limitations: Several council members supported approving only the fourth-year option as a one-year stopgap while staff seeks comprehensive replacement quotes and an energy audit. One council member summarized the action as buying time: "it's a band aid we're putting over... we're buying time," according to remarks during the discussion. Council members also asked staff to explore separating heating systems serving the police department from the rest of City Hall to avoid heating the full building during times police facilities are in use.
Contractor naming in the record: The contract was described in the agenda as an extension for "Candles Mechanical" for recreation and City Hall; staff later referred to the contractor as "Campbell." The record does not include an unambiguous single contractor name; staff told council they are managing the vendor relationship closely.
Funding and next steps: Staff said the maintenance contract is subsidized by the Tax Increment Finance Authority (TIFA) for the recreation center portions. Council approved the extension by voice vote; no roll-call tally was recorded in the transcript. Staff said they will return with quotes and an energy-audit-style assessment of full replacement options.
