By Cecilia Nasmith/Today’s Northumberland
The refrigeration compressor at the Cobourg Community Centre has indicated it will soon be ready for retirement, and council supported the motion at this week’s committee-of-the-whole meeting to pre-approve its replacement as a capital project.
Pre-approval provides a commitment to include the $60,500 cost in the 2024 budget and, as Director of Community Services Brian Geerts said, also provides staff the confidence to get its replacement in the works now with an order to Cimco Inc. (with which the town has a customer-support agreement to aid in the maintenance and repair of the facility’s HVAC and refrigeration systems).
As part of the town’s asset-management policy, Geerts explained, town staff carefully monitor the municipality’s valuable equipment. In the case of this piece of equipment, they can track the hours it operates and forecast the date of its demise. And that time is on the horizon.
Placing the order well in advance is only prudent, he added, in order to allow a lead time in case of shortages or supply-chain issues.
The plan is to move promptly, in order that the replacement can be installed next year in time to provide air conditioning for the facility as well as the ice surface.
