The 18-hole clubhouse at the city-owned Riverbend Golf Complex will get a new heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system next year at a cost of $752,796.

The Kent City Council approved a contract on Tuesday with Seattle-based McKinstry to install the new system by next July.

“The nice thing about this Riverbend project is it’s 25-year-old equipment we will replace,” City Parks Director Jeff Watling said at a council Parks Committee meeting last month. “We will see operational efficiencies and energy savings.”

Riverbend Golf Complex includes an 18-hole course, a par 3 course, driving range and merchandise shop.

City officials plan to try to sell the par 3 course next year to a residential and commercial developer to cover the Riverbend complex’s $2.6 million debt as well as nearly $6 million in capital improvements needed on the 18-hole course and an operating deficit of about $300,000 per year. The debt is owed to an interfund loan, money that the city borrowed from its water and fleet funds to help pay off the bond for the golf complex.

The city will continue to operate the 18-hole course in efforts to make it a revenue-producing complex or at least break even.

The costs for the new HVAC system will be covered by the city’s facilities capital fund. Watling said all city facilities pay a facility charge to the city to build up the capital fund. Riverbend has paid that fee for the last 20-some years, he said.

City staff in 2007 started a process to identify deficiencies in HVAC systems throughout its facilities.

“We put together a 10-year HVAC replacement plan and a lot of those facilities have been done,” Watling said. “Riverbend is next. It’s our oldest set of HVAC systems.”

With a new system, Riverbend will see improved energy efficiency, reduced maintenance costs and an improved level of comfort for golf course patrons, according to city documents.

McKinstry replaced the HVAC system in the city’s Centennial Center in 2010 at a cost of $1.4 million. The city received a state Department of Energy grant for $845,000 to help cover the costs.

City officials have applied for a $125,000 grant from the state Department of Commerce for the Riverbend HVAC replacement. Watling said the city should find out by the end of the year whether it gets that grant.

Councilwoman Deborah Ranniger asked about how long a new HVAC system lasts.

“Typically it lasts 15 years but what we’ve seen in the city is we typically get 20 to 25 years out of our HVAC equipment,” said Alex Ackley, city facilities superintendent, at the Parks Committee meeting. “The bonus here is we lose some equipment, such as a boiler not working, but in this system the boiler goes away.”

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