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Virginia City advances City Hall and library HVAC steam-to-hot-water conversion to full council

Virginia City Council · January 7, 2026

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Summary

The Committee of the Whole voted to send SCH’s steam-to-hot-water conversion estimates for City Hall and the library to the full City Council with a request to authorize advertising for bids; staff said financing options include a utility 0% loan and an IRRRB grant, and the work is scheduled to be staged to ensure heat by October 2026.

The Virginia City Committee of the Whole on Jan. 6 voted to forward engineering estimates and the recommendation to advertise bids for a steam-to-high-efficiency hot-water conversion at City Hall and the library to the full City Council.

SCH representative Matt Reid introduced the packet of estimates and asked the council to allow the city to advertise for bids. "In your packet, you do have the I guess I can't call it an engineer's estimate, architect's estimate for the steam conversion upgrades to City Hall and the library," Reid said, offering to answer questions.

Councilors focused on timeline and financing. Reid said the work would be staged so heating work is completed first, and the project is targeted to finish by October 2026. Councilor Johnson, who moved to advance the item, stressed the time sensitivity and asked staff to prepare contingency plans in case both heating systems were not installed within a year.

Councilor Paulson and others pressed for clarity on funding and engineering fees. City administrator Britt (Bridgety Benes) said staff will bring final numbers and financing options to the council meeting on Tuesday, including what staff described in the packet as a potential 0% loan from utilities and an IRRRB grant to help cover costs.

Some councilors questioned whether the city could reuse SCH’s plans and issue an independent RFP to save money; staff cautioned that city staff lack the in-house engineering capacity to evaluate complex bids and that omissions in RFP responses can lead to change orders. "We hired SCH as an engineer of record to do the professional work they've done," the mayor said, adding that engineering oversight is intended to reduce risk.

After discussion, the committee moved and supported a recommendation to send the estimates and the recommendation to advertise for bids to the full City Council for final approval. The committee took a voice vote and the mayor declared the motion carried.

The council packet for the upcoming council meeting will include a breakdown of costs, loan terms and grant details for council review before any final contract award. STAFF NEXT STEPS: staff will finalize financing numbers, provide detailed line-item estimates and place the project on the council agenda for formal authorization to advertise and seek bids.