City staff asked commissioners to approve declaring two mothballed chillers at the DES plant as surplus so they can be sold to help fund purchase and installation of a redundant chiller. Josh, who presented the request, said the chillers were designed specifically for the plant and have limited resale markets; a preliminary estimate given to staff put potential recovery at roughly $100,000.

Josh said the operating chiller currently runs 24/7 without redundancy and the CIP includes funding to install a redundant chiller this year, with a projected cost of roughly $400,000 to $900,000. Selling one or both of the unused units and using contractor removal support could reduce the expense of siting and installing the redundant unit.

Commissioners asked whether the unused chillers incur ongoing maintenance costs; staff replied they are mothballed and require little maintenance but their value diminishes over time. Staff said engineers and industry buyers have inspected the equipment and that prospective buyers would transport the units; one prospect flew in from Texas to evaluate suitability for their facility.

As part of the same utilities discussion, staff also noted a piggyback purchase for sodium hypochlorite for both water plants and an invitation-to-bid for utility relocation for the I-95/Boynton Beach Boulevard interchange.