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 ensure continuity.

- Long-term HVAC proposal: Honeywell said the primary campus chillers are near the end of their useful life (the firm cited ASHRAE guidance that a centrifugal chiller’s useful life averages about 23 years with perfect maintenance) and recommended evaluating replacement chillers for installation next spring. Honeywell noted ordering a new full‑size chiller could take roughly 30 weeks, requiring near‑term planning if the city chooses replacement.

- Lighting, controls and building envelope: Honeywell recommended LED and control upgrades, retro‑commissioning (refreshing control sequences per ASHRAE practice every 3–5 years), and targeted building‑envelope repairs (door sweeps, weatherstripping, window film on 87 openings) to reduce cooling loads and operational costs. The firm said lighting upgrades at the Event Center are among the highest savings‑to‑cost measures in the proposed package.

- Arena experience: Honeywell proposed two arena‑lighting options—static LED replacements and a fan‑experience package with full‑color programmable fixtures—and a redesigned sound system to reduce reverb and improve evenness of coverage. Honeywell offered site visits and demonstrations with reference installs.

- Ice rink: Honeywell reported the rink plant had been mothballed for roughly 20 years and that the original ice chiller contained brine damage and corrosion. Honeywell recommended either installing a new air‑cooled chiller outside and refurbishing support equipment or, alternatively, repairing the existing ammonia chiller. At Honeywell’s present estimate, repairing the old ice chiller was roughly 10.3% less expensive than installing a new chiller, but the firm cautioned repairs could uncover further issues. Honeywell also noted additional ownership costs for ice operations (Zamboni: roughly $100,000 to $250,000–$300,000 depending on new/used and fuel type; ice edger ~ $3,000) and urged the city to weigh likely revenues and usage before committing.

Finances and schedule

Honeywell presented a budgetary scenario for projects at City Hall, the public library and the Heartland Event Center that totaled about $8.7 million (budgetary). Modeled as a tax‑exempt lease over 20 years, financing plus interest could raise total payments to roughly $13.6 million over the term in the model shown. Honeywell said the model assumed no down payment and estimated annual guaranteed first‑year energy savings on the scope; the firm modeled a 3% annual utility escalation by default. The firm said it could return with fully developed contract documents and a complete report within about two months if the council provides a shortlist of which projects to advance.

Measurement & verification; guarantees

Baloli said Honeywell includes a measurement and verification (M&V) process that follows industry standards (IPMVP) as part of performance contracting. Under the firm’s energy‑savings guarantee, Honeywell said it would measure post‑installation performance and issue payments if guaranteed savings are not met.

City action and next steps

City Administrator Laura McAloon confirmed staff recommended amending Honeywell’s investment‑grade audit to add the law enforcement center for further, at‑risk study. McAloon told the council the audit’s at‑risk cost would increase from $220,106 to $256,000 to cover additional structural engineering and invasive envelope testing. Council President Sheard moved to approve the amendment; the motion was seconded and the council adopted the amendment by voice vote.

Council members asked about lifespans, warranties and preventive maintenance. Honeywell said vendors typically require minimum rental periods (commonly two months); lighting warranties depend on run time; and Honeywell offers a Forge monitoring platform and can propose service agreements for ongoing preventive maintenance and alarmed predictive maintenance.

Excerpts from the meeting

Jordan Baloli (Honeywell): “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.”

Don Borgman (Honeywell): “...it’s also worth noting that because these issues have just popped up, any of the pricing that you’re seeing tonight for the budgetary scenario does not include a new chiller.”

Laura McAloon (City Administrator): staff recommended amending the investment grade audit agreement to add the law enforcement center and increase the at‑risk cost to $256,000.

What the council will decide next

Staff and Honeywell asked the council for feedback on which projects to advance. Honeywell offered to return with final project scopes, contracts and a full measurement‑and‑verification plan in about two months if the council gives direction. Separately, the council has already approved the requested amendment to Honeywell’s audit contract to add the law enforcement center and to increase the at‑risk audit cost.

Ending note

Honeywell emphasized the distinction between near‑term emergency steps to ensure cooling for the State Fair (rental chiller) and longer‑term capital choices (new chillers, building envelope, system replacements) that would require additional design time and capital planning.