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Facilities teams propose PAYGO and electrification investments; boiler switch at 4‑Mile Run carries $760,000 premium
Summary
Facilities and energy management staff outlined FY26 PAYGO requests and electrification pilots, including a boiler electrification at 4‑Mile Run with a $760,000 incremental capital cost versus a gas replacement, lighting retrofits at the Justice Center, and expanded EV charging and solar projects.
Facilities and energy management staff told the Arlington County Board at a work session that FY26 PAYGO requests will prioritize state‑of‑good‑repair work, end‑of‑life replacements and electrification pilots to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and future operating carbon demand.
George May and colleagues said the county’s facility portfolio is aging—the average facility age is roughly 44 years—and that the FY26 requests reflect replacement cycles, critical systems upgrades and electrification initiatives. Staff highlighted prior completions such as Fire Station 8 and the Art Operations and Maintenance Facility and described an active project list of about 70 items across design and construction.
Energy projects proposed in PAYGO total roughly $1.9 million from the PAYGO budget with an additional $300,000 from the Climate Action Fund, staff said. The presentation separated short‑payback “low‑hanging” measures—such as LED lighting retrofits and retro‑commissioning with paybacks near five years—from deeper decarbonization measures that require higher up‑front capital.
Steven (energy staff) showed comparative metrics for two illustrative projects: a boiler electrification at the 3404 Four Mile Run site and a Justice Center lighting retrofit. He said the boiler electrification carries a $760,000 incremental capital premium over a like‑for‑like gas replacement but is forecast to yield substantially greater greenhouse‑gas savings over a 30‑year life. By contrast, the lighting project is about $200,000 with an estimated five‑year payback and smaller lifetime GHG savings.
Staff also described on‑site solar planning (county‑owned systems and PPAs), expanding fleet charging (the county had about 80 internal chargers across 14 sites and 160,000 kWh dispensed in 2024 supporting roughly 420,000 electric miles), and continued work on EV charging at the Art Operations and Maintenance Facility and Justice Center. The county expects to exceed one megawatt of installed on‑site solar capacity as planned arrays come online.
Facilities management requested targeted PAYGO for library and community center HVAC and window projects, electrical upgrades at Madison Community Center (including a request tied to a baseline maintenance package), and replacement of critical systems such as emergency generators, fire alarm systems at transit sites (Quincy 3), and UPS replacements at radio sites. Staff told the board the transition to electrified heating systems can add significant internal electrical upgrade costs—transformers and switchgear replacement and potentially higher monthly utility charges—so project planning factors in those tradeoffs.
Staff also raised workforce capacity and market pay concerns for technicians and project managers as a limiting factor in project delivery.
Provenance: summarizes the Facilities & Energy Management presentation and project examples discussed by George May, Steven and Adam Clowey.
