Honeywell urges rental chiller, upgrades after Heartland Event Center cooling failure; council votes to expand audit to law enforcement center

Honeywell told the Grand Island City Council on June 24 that the Heartland Event Center had suffered compound chiller and HVAC failures and urged the city to secure a rental chiller immediately to guarantee cooling for the Nebraska State Fair on Aug. 7.

“This is a status,” Honeywell account representative Jordan Baloli told the council during a presentation. “First and foremost, our clear cut recommendation for the city is to bring in a rental chiller, to make sure that there is going to be cooling for the state fair. Without a shadow of a doubt, we are recommending some sort of rental chiller be brought in.”

Why it matters: The Event Center is a high-use municipal venue and the city intends to hand off operation to the State Fair on Aug. 7. Honeywell’s presentation separated time-sensitive short-term actions (rental chiller, immediate repairs) from longer-term investments (replacement chillers, building envelope upgrades, controls). The council later approved an amendment to Honeywell’s investment‑grade audit to add the law enforcement center to the scope, increasing the at‑risk audit cost the city would pay if it does not proceed with projects.

What Honeywell presented

- Immediate recommendation: rent a trailer-mounted chiller to provide cooling during peak summer months and for the State Fair. Honeywell and vendors advised the council that a rental unit could typically be installed within about 10–15 days, depending on vendor availability.

- Short-term repair options: Honeywell relayed contractor feedback (including Daikin) that repairs to existing chillers could be uncertain in outcome; options ranged from control repairs and inlet‑guide‑vane work to full rebuilds. Honeywell recommended the rental chiller even if repairs proceed, to…