Saline City Council Considers $1.1 million for New Air Conditioning Unit

The City of Saline is considering the purchase of a new air conditioning unit to control the climate in the Rec Center aquatic center.

The current unit is far beyond its useful life and a recent failure caused the pool to close early this year

Saline Parks and Recreation Director Sunshine Lambert presented on the Dectron unit at the Saline City Council meeting Monday.

First, she gave a timeline of the Dectron issues:

• It was installed in 2004. It replaced the original unit installed in 1991. It had an expected life of 12-15 years.
• Around 2010, there was an issue with a roof membrane. A study in 2011 determined the Dectron was too small. It recommended several steps to maximize efficiency.
• In 2015, the ductwork was updated for better air flow.
• In 2016-17, the roof was replaced after it was damaged by an inefficient HVAC system.
• In 2018, the system was overhauled in an effort to extend its service for 3-5 more years.
• In 2023, one of the two circuits that run the system went down. Technicians were uncertain if repairs would hold. Since then, the Dectron has been operating on one circuit.
• On Feb. 12, circuit two went down. The aquatic center was closed. The lap pool was much colder than normal.
• Last week, there was a refrigerant leak, which caused the building evacuation.

"I can't stress enough that we are on borrowed time with the Dectron," Lambert said. "We have far exceeded the projected lifespan. We are now operating on the edge of uncertainty."

Lambert said the February shutdown gives Rec Center staff a glimpse of what's at stake.

"We had lost programming, frustrated members, and potential long-term facility damage. We even had water dripping from the facility," she said. 

Lambert said replacing the Dectron is essential to avoid further closures and protect the facility.

The Dectron unit is a specialized dehumidification system for indoor pool environments.

Evan Eschelbach of IMEG said work could begin in fall of this year. Work would close the pool for weeks. Bids are under review with an estimate of $1.1 million. That cost also includes the unit and installation..

A formal recommendation to city council is expected May 5.

Mayor Brian Marl said he had hoped to put the air conditioning system on the ground instead of the roof.

Lambert said connecting everything from the ground could be expensive. Eschelbach said regrounding the ductwork and other rerouting could be expensive.

"It can be done, but there would be more cost," Eschelbach said.

Answering a question from Councillor Jenn Harmount, Lambert said the city has settled on a Seresco  unit, recommended by IMEG.

Eschelbach explained the current unit has two circuits. The Seresco has 11, so if one goes down the center still has 10 running.

"You would want to address that, but it wouldn't shut you down if you had a failure," Eschebach said

Answering a question from Councillor Janet Dillon, Lambert said Rec Center staff and the manufacturer will get alerts if anything goes down.

Lambert said tariffs shouldn't impact the price. Marl said he wanted that double-checked before council votes in May.

It's a significant expense as the city considers the future of the Rec Center.

Councillor Dean Girbach fired a shot at Saline Area Schools for not helping with the funding of the Rec Center. He noted that Tecumseh will close its pool for four months for repairs this year and then again next year for a roof repair.

"Fortunately for Tecumseh, their school system is supporting their community pool, unlike ours," he said.

The newest Rec Center task force begins meeting to discuss the future of the pool, including borrowing to expand the aquatics center.

"This is one fix, but there are multiple millions of dollars that need to be done to this facility. The ability for it to be a sustainable facility is very concerning to me at this point in time. This is just another example of a million dollars here and a million dollars there," Girbach said. "Our community can't afford to keep doing this."

Councillor Nicole Rice said that community rec centers were a popular idea in the 90s. Now the bills for repairs and upgrades are coming in.

"With the Rec Center Task Force coming out, hopefully we can lay this all out and get some feedback from the community about what the value of (the Rec Center) really is and what the community is willing to do if they want to keep it around," Rice said. "So these are tough conversations we need to have with both city staff and the community."

Lambert said the Rec Center's aquatic center is of vital interest to the community. She said the growing swim school now has 120 kids enrolled. She said the aquatic therapy and fitness classes benefit all ages. The pools also have various activities for the community, rentals, birthday parties and more. They are also a significant reason for membership and day passes.

"One thing we learned about our shutdown is that people really like our aquatic center," Lambert said.

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