Council approves almost $2 million boiler replacement at Heartland Event Center; funding tied to proposed tax package

The Grand Island City Council on Dec. 30 approved a contract using Sourcewell through Honeywell to replace boilers B2, B3 and B4 at the Heartland Event Center at a cost of $1,975,045.

City administrator Patrick Brown told council the facility is down to one working boiler and urged prompt replacement. "We are down to 1 boiler. And if that goes, we're in lots of trouble," Brown said when asked about urgency.

A member of the public, Jay Vavachek, asked whether the replacement could be delayed and where the funds would come from; Brown said the administration plans to use bond proceeds and that the boiler replacement is part of a larger set of deferred maintenance items totaling about $11 million. "So this is kind of the way I'm looking at this," Brown said, describing a 20‑year bond and an annual payment scenario.

Council member Lanfear moved to approve resolution 2025-437 authorizing the contract; Council member Connolly seconded and the motion carried.

Brown said additional Heartland Event Center items (lighting, sound, vestibule) will be brought to council and that funding options are being considered in tandem with the city's proposed occupation tax. Council discussion noted a contingency built into the budget if the proposed hotel tax funding is not approved.

Next steps for the Heartland package include further requests to council for related capital items and finalization of financing plans.