by Kylie Smith
February 3, 2010
Possible errors in an energy consumption analysis may be yet another delay in the decades-long struggle to provide a new home for the Marietta Municipal Court. The analysis, performed by KORDA Engineering, cost the City of Marietta around $10,000 and examined several HVAC systems for installation in the former OBES building. KORDA presented their report to City Council in December, recommending a variable air volume system that gave an estimated heating cost around $8,000 per year. While the analysis report was immediately approved by the Council, concerns were voiced within hours that the KORDA estimates were too low and unrealistic.
David Haas, of Morrison, Inc., a local HVAC installation company, was present at the December meeting and directly expressed this apprehension to City Engineer Joe Tucker. Haas, with more than 25 years experience with HVAC systems, performed his own peripheral energy analysis in which he found operational costs to be an additional $2 more per square foot versus KORDA’s projections - an annual difference of around $20,000. This analysis was then sent to KORDA for review, at which point they rejected Haas’s estimate as “excessively high”, giving numeric figures to prove their own perceived validity.
City Council directly addressed this matter in a committee meeting of the whole on February 2. Both Tucker and Haas presented additional yet separate facts, figures and other data associated with the future HVAC system cost, including KORDA’s own repudiation and recent energy consumption data from three of the current city office buildings. Councilman Jon Grimm, R-3rd ward, proposed exploring this issue further before making any permanent decisions, “to justify these numbers and make sure we did make the proper decision.” It was generally agreed upon by the Council that KORDA may sustain further inquiries about their report’s legitimacy after Haas and Tucker perform more in-depth calculations.
Frustration was felt with yet another stall in renovating the new municipal courthouse. However Councilman Andy Thompson, R-At Large, did emphasize the necessity of further review.
“This is important and not about delaying the project. It’s about getting this right for the long term,” Thompson said.
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