With four councillors unavailable for the governance meeting on Monday, Coun. Sandy Santori, who had taken the day off sick, called in last minute to form a quorum so business of the day could proceed. First on the list was council members agreeing for staff to pursue a $1M+ grant application to upgrade the Trail Memorial Centre HVAC system. As well, council awarded an $87,000 contract for a Tadanac park, so work on the children’s playground can now get underway.
CleanBC grant
Mayor Lisa Pasin, Coun. Santori, and councillors Paul Butler and Colleen Jones unanimously passed staff’s request to apply for a grant from Investing in Canada Infrastructure-CleanBC Communities Fund to integrate the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system in the Trail Memorial Centre. Further, council members agreed to commit cost-sharing funds to the project, including any ineligible costs and cost overruns.
This action is being done now as the facility’s HVAC system requires replacement within the next three years.
Last year, the city hired an engineering firm to carry out an energy study of the memorial centre and develop a plan to replace the HVAC system, as well as explore options for integrating the building’s HVAC, boiler, and refrigeration systems. This energy study was partly funded by FortisBC, and a final report was received in January 2022.
Existing equipment utilizes natural gas as its source of heat, however, there is a considerable amount of waste heat available from the ammonia refrigeration plant which could be utilized in place of natural gas. If the HVAC, boiler, and refrigeration systems were integrated, it would significantly reduce the building’s electrical and natural gas consumption, as well as greenhouse gas emissions.
The energy study also identities that an integrated system would save the city 6,064 Gj of natural gas, 284,605 kWh of electricity, roughly $19,500 per year. Meanwhile, greenhouse gas emissions would be reduced by 301 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year; the city notes this is equivalent to removing 65 gasoline vehicles from the road.
Notably, if the city opts to integrate the HVAC equipment with the boiler and refrigeration systems, there would be an incremental cost beyond that of only replacing the HVAC. The added cost of integrating the systems is only affordable with grant funding, therefore city staff have also submitted grant applications to FortisBC and the Green Inclusive Buildings Program. The respective energy study identifies that the base capital cost of replacing the facility’s HVAC system is estimated at $2.2M. The cost to replace the HVAC system and integrate it with the boilers and refrigeration plant is estimated at $3.6M. Therefore, the incremental cost of integration is $1.4 million.
Reg Stone Park
After hearing from David Moorhead of Trail public works, council members awarded an $86,800+ contract to the lowest of three bids, Softline Solutions AB Inc., to install a rubberized playground surface at Reg Stone Park.
In 2021, city staff worked in conjunction with the Tadanac Residents Association (TRA) to develop a project in which the city would replace the existing pea gravel at the park playground with a safer and more easily maintained rubber base, similar to the base at Gyro Park’s playground.
The TRA did their part by raising funds in the community as well as applying for and receiving grants from local foundations and businesses.
Project contributions and grants in the amount of $87,000 were received from: Columbia Basin Trust $25,000; Teck Metals, $20,000; Kootenay Savings, $1,000; Le Roi Community Foundation, $1,500; community fundraising by the TRA, $2,500; and the City of Trail $37,000.