Article Summary: The Lake Land College board authorized an emergency expenditure of $35,426 to replace a pair of failed HVAC compressors at the Effingham Technology Center. The board bypassed the standard bidding process due to the urgent need to restore cooling capacity at the facility, which houses a tenant and recently experienced extreme heat.

Emergency HVAC Purchase Key Points:

• The board approved an emergency purchase of $35,426 for two 26-ton HVAC compressors.

• The repair was needed for a rooftop unit at the Effingham Technology Center.

• The failure marked the third set of compressors to be replaced in the unit since May.

EFFINGHAM — An emergency HVAC repair is underway at Lake Land College’s Effingham Technology Center after the Board of Trustees approved a $35,426 expenditure on Monday night. The funds will be used to replace a pair of failed 26-ton compressors on a second rooftop unit at the newly dedicated facility.

John Woodruff, Vice President for Business Services, told the board that the failure occurred amid extreme heat, making immediate replacement imperative. He also noted that the college has a tenant in the building for whom it must maintain HVAC service.

“Back in May, the College had replaced two pairs of compressors and this will make the third set,” Woodruff explained. “With the impending dedication on July 30 and extreme heat, it was imperative to replace the compressors and restore cooling capacity.”

Under Board Policy 10.22, the normal bid process can be bypassed in an emergency. Woodruff stated that per policy, the board chair and secretary had already given preliminary approval, which required ratification by the full board.

The emergency contract was awarded to Davis Houk Mechanical, Inc., for the replacement parts and installation. Trustee Chuck Deters moved to approve the expenditure, which was seconded by Trustee Larry D. Lilly and passed unanimously.