Mosaic Place's Boilers' Woes Just A Sign Of The Times - City Manager
By Robert Thomas
“Nothing seems to last more than ten (10) years,” city manager Jim Puffalt said in his post Council presser on Thursday afternoon.
Puffalt was answering questions from MJ Independent about not only the boilers at Mosaic Place but at Yara Centre as well.
MJ Independent asked the questions based upon a recent Council meeting where it was asked if the heat could not be left on at the Yara Centre at night as it was too cold for walkers in the morning to use the walking track.
One of the Yara Centre’s heating units - MJ Independent photo
Puffalt was asked if the cold felt in that building could not have something to do with the age and condition of the boilers at the Yara Centre as well.
The Yara Centre employs forced air heaters in its track area.
He said the City did not have the up to date information on the Yara Centre’s boilers but the ten year trend seemed to be a norm for boilers and other mechanical items in City facilities.
“We are seeing things at a ten year period things are starting to go…it’s at all of our facilities,” he said adding it’s not just the boilers at Mosaic Place or Yara Centre that have the City looking at not just the shape of the boilers but ensuring there are sufficient replacement reserves.
“It is something that we have to be aware of.”
When asked if this would not be seen as yet another expense for what many are seeing Mosaic Place as a bit of a money pit in the community the City Manager said it is common almost everywhere in large facilities as well as homes.
He lamented about having to change out the hot water heater in his home, just after it reached its’ tenth year of life.
At Monday night’s Council meeting the City just approved the replacement of one of Mosaic Place’s boilers with insurance funds just after the facility turned ten years old.
Due to the seemingly much shorter life of boilers and other major mechanical systems in their facilities Puffalt said the City needed to be cognizant of the potential expenses that may occur.
“It is again something to be aware of…we do need to bump our building reserves (for Yara Centre, Mosaic Place and other City facilities),” he said, adding “it (boilers at Mosaic Place) has to be a concern ten years down the road when this happens again.”
Asked if there might be a correlation between the changes in the chemistry of Moose Jaw’s water - which has been slightly changed over the last decade to help increased the life of cast iron water mains (for example the amount of alum added was changed) - Puffalt mused it would be nice to know.
“How can those (some older boilers in use) last forever and the same water that ours are?” he asked.
Puffalt asked if it is not just the quality of what is being manufactured today versus such things as boilers in older facilities that are easily going strong after 25 years.
Asked by MJ Independent if the usable life of the boilers in the two facilities might be because of a whole philosophy of the City “cheaped out” to get the facilities built Pufflat said he could not say just speculate.
“It’s hard to speculate. I am 11 years away from construction and had nothing to do with it,” he said, adding when public buildings are built you have to stay within the budget and it might have an effect.
“But I never say the builders “cheaped out” as I don’t know.”
Puffalt also did state that there were boilers older than what Mosaic Place has that have easily lasted 25 years and it was a question as to why.