Vancouver City Council |
ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT
Date: March 11, 2003
Author/Local: A. Kumar/604.968.3490
RTS No.: 03280
CC File No. 4253Council: March 25, 2003
TO:
Vancouver City Council
FROM:
Director of Facility Design & Management in consultation with the Director of Civic Theatres
SUBJECT:
Queen Elizabeth Theatre Cooling Tower Replacement - Approval of Funding in Advance of the 2003 Capital Plan
RECOMMENDATION
THAT funding up to $150,000 be approved for the replacement of three Cooling Towers at Queen Elizabeth Theatre (QET); source of funding to be the 2003 Capital Budget for Physical Plant Upgrades, in advance.
DIRECTOR OF FINANCE COMMENTS
The Director of Finance notes that funding has been included in the 2003-2005 Capital Plan for replacement of the Cooling Tower in the QET and the 2003 Capital Budget will be before Council in early May 2003. Approval of funding in advance is necessary in order to ensure that the equipment can be ordered in advance to meet the summer deadline.
POLICY
· Council approval is required for commitment of funding over $50,000 in advance of Capital Budget approval.
· Projects cannot be tendered until funding is in place.BACKGROUND
The 2003-2005 Capital Plan for Major Building Systems Maintenance provided $5.1 million for Major Building System Maintenance, including funding for the replacement of the QET stage chiller and three cooling towers.
DISCUSSION
The QET Stage Chiller and three cooling towers require replacement due to age. Repairs have become frequent and replacement is more cost-effective than continued repairs. In order to ensure that the work is completed before the summer when air conditioning is needed the towers must be ordered in advance to permit installation by May 01, 2003. The current equipment is in failure mode and temporary repairs would be expensive and would not guarantee reliability. Considerable lead time is required for work and delivery.
Air conditioning is mandatory for operation of the theatres during the summer, hence the work must be completed in May 2003.
Funding in the amount $150,000 is therefore being requested in advance of the 2003 Capital Budget approval to facilitate ordering the equipment in time for installation.
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