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Committee reviews building-efficiency options; Ed Ball chilled-water project cited as example
Summary
Auditors and staff discussed facility assessments, a pending Montgomery corrections facility proposal, and the Ed Ball building chilled-water capital project as examples of potential city building-efficiency measures and trade-offs in cost and timing.
The Duval DOGE committee on June 17 reviewed the city’s current building-efficiency approaches, including building-automation systems in use, a pending procurement for a facility condition assessment at Montgomery corrections, and the Ed Ball building chilled-water capital project.
Auditors told the committee the city uses Trane, Siemens and Johnson Controls building automation platforms in multiuse buildings to monitor and control HVAC systems and that a facility-condition assessment proposal for the Montgomery corrections facility had returned an initial estimate near $200,000.
Committee members discussed the city’s ongoing Ed Ball chilled-water capital project, which auditors described as a multi-year capital effort with an expected connection in 2026 and an estimated conversion cost around $2,000,000 for the Ed Ball Building. “The Ed Ball building conversion is about 2,000,000 for that project, just to give you an idea,” an auditor said. Staff and council members said chilled-water connections are location-dependent and that the Jacksonville Electric Authority’s (JEA) district-energy pipelines and timing determine which buildings can be connected cost effectively. Auditors listed three JEA district-energy locations serving downtown and nearby facilities and noted that proximity and the stage of equipment life also matter.
The committee considered trade-offs: a large one-time infrastructure expense for chilled-water lines and potential recurring energy savings. Staff said prior Ed Ball analysis showed a favorable life-cycle case once JEA’s extension made connection practical; a committee member later reported an email from public works indicating projected annual savings for Ed Ball could remain “200,000 plus” even after capital costs were considered.
No vote was taken. Committee members asked staff to follow up with public works and to consider including building-efficiency assessments in upcoming CIP (capital improvement plan) discussions and future procurement choices.
