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Council approves engineering contract for ice arena switchgear replacement
Summary
The council authorized a professional services agreement for design of replacement electrical switchgear at the ice arena; staff selected Luzardo's engineering as best value at $43,600 and said the work includes elevating equipment to reduce flood risk.
City staff told the council that the main electrical switchgear at the ice arena is failing repeatedly and appears original to the building; the manufacturer is no longer in business and the equipment is beyond its useful life. The city received nine responses to the RFP for engineering design; staff said Luzardo's engineering was determined to provide best value at a design fee of $43,600.
Steve Friedman, deputy commissioner of the Department of Public Works, described the scope: electrical engineering for replacement plus structural engineering to create a raised mezzanine or platform so the switchgear will remain above possible floodwater. Friedman said the equipment currently fails multiple times per month, which can shut down the arena's electrical systems and disrupt facility operations.
Council members and residents asked about the equipment's history and why other bidders were deemed nonresponsive. Friedman said some firms did not visit the site to review conditions and some proposed temporary generator solutions that would have added $50,000–$80,000 to construction costs; Luzardo's visited the site and proposed a full electrical and structural design.
The council approved authorizing the city manager to enter into a professional service agreement with the lowest responsible proposer to replace the ice arena switchgear as described.
