Revelstoke city council has approved the purchase and installation of a new refrigeration chiller for the arena.
The $323,650 contract was awarded to DevCon Industrial Services.
According to the staff report, the existing brine chiller has reached the end of its operating life–it has been in service for 17 years.
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Though chillers are said to have a 20-year life span, Laurie Donato, director of parks, recreation and culture, said that if the project didn’t move forward Technical Safety B.C. would likely either shut down the plant or order a fit-for-service evaluation report.
“Completing a fit for service evaluation on a chiller that is near the end of its life expectancy is risky and costly,” the staff report reads. “A fit-for-service evaluation can only be performed when the refrigeration plant is shutdown. The work is labour intensive and requires complete exposure of the shell and tube system.”
At the Aug. 27 council meeting, Donato made it clear that this upgrade is required, as she does not want a deadly leak, such as the accident in the Fernie arena in 2017 where aging equipment caused an ammonia leak that killed three people, to happen in Revelstoke.
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Coun. Steven Cross questioned the move considering a new arena could be a possibility in the near future.
Donato said depending on the capacity needed in a new building, the new chiller could be moved.
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