During its work session Monday, Dec. 5, Fenton City Council voted unanimously to recommend the costs for HVAC (heating, ventilation, air conditioning) replacement at City Hall. Council is recommending the project go to K&S Ventures, Inc. at a cost of $140,000, which is budgeted from the current operating budget.
The proposal will go before city council at its meeting next week for final approval.
The HVAC equipment for Council Chambers is the original (1973) and the five HVAC units that service the rest of the building were manufactured in 2003. In a Nov. 30, memo from Department of Public Works (DPW) Director Dan Brisson to City Manager Lynn Markland, Brisson said the reliability of all the HVAC equipment has been a concern for the past three or four years. He added that all the equipment has reached or passed its useful service life.
Bid specifications were prepared and posted on the city’s website. Vendors that perform HVAC work for the city were notified of the bid opportunity. An internet search of local HVAC vendors was collected and local HVAC vendors were called and/or emailed to participate in the bid opportunity. A mandatory pre-bid walk-through was held Nov. 10 and seven companies attended the meeting. Three sealed bids were received and publicly opened by the city clerk on Nov. 23. The three bids included Rawley HVAC in Macomb for $128,280, K&S Ventures, Inc. in Rochester for $140,000 and Dee Cramer in Holly for $144,603.
Based on background investigation, reference check and interview of the low bidder, city staff recommended that city council go with K&S Ventures, Inc. K&S Ventures has extensive commercial/industrial HVAC experience and specializes in energy management controls. They have done extensive municipal, school districts, and large commercial facility work. K&S has done equipment replacement at the DPW building and repair work at City Hall.