One of the oldest buildings in Bridgeport is replacing one of its oldest pieces of equipment to make the facility as inviting to the community as it has been for decades. In the next few months, the Benedum Civic Center will see the installation of a brand new air conditioning unit.

 

“The current one has served this building and those coming to the Civic Center well,” said Bridgeport Parks and Recreation Director Don Burton of the unit that sits on the side of the building near the parking lot. “We are hopeful that this new unit will last as long, and believe it will, as the one we’re replacing.”

 

The current system was installed in 1990. And after a quarter of a century of use, it will not see a 26^th year.

 

“For that older unit, which was considered state of the art at the time, this is the lifespan that was expected,” said Burton. “The engineering specialist that set the unit up for the Civic Center said he anticipated it lasting roughly 25 years and he was correct.”

 

That doesn’t mean that things have been flawless with the current unit. Along with the standard maintenance that takes place with anything mechanical, the current unit has had some failings in recent years. Because of that, Burton said city officials knew it was no longer cost effective to do repairs.

 

“We knew we were getting to the end of its life because it wasn’t cooling as efficiently and effectively as we needed for such a large building,” said Burton. “I would say that for the last five years we’ve been addressing mechanical issues more often than not.”

 

The main issue has been the replacement of compressors. Twice in the last five years that undertaking has been addressed.

 

“That’s not a cheap fix to make. This past summer we had another compressor go down and we figured it was time to make the move,” said Burton.

 

The good news from a financial standpoint is that money was put aside for it. Burton said when the key problems began so did an escrow fund to replace it. He said there was nearly $100,000 put back to replace the unit.

 

On Tuesday afternoon, bids were opened by a trio of contractors looking to do the project. All of the bids – from Casto Technical, Stuart McMunn and Michel Inc. – came in under what the city had put back. Casto Technical was the low bid at $75,405. All of the bids were competitive, said Burton.

 

“I’ll be meeting with the contractor next Tuesday to go over the contract and the specifications,” said Burton. “We hope to have it installed with very little impact on those utilizing the Civic Center.”

 

A timeline for the project has not yet been established.

 

Editor's Note: Don Burton looks inside the AC unit outside the Civic Center that will soon be replaced.