Essex County amends capital budget to add $7.125 million Cody Arena HVAC replacement

Essex County commissioners voted to amend the 2026 capital budget on Tuesday to add a $7,125,000 project to replace the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system at Cody Arena.

Hussam Mohammed, county treasurer, told the board the project was not included in the original capital budget because staff did not yet have a final bid amount when the budget was adopted. David Antonio of the Department of Public Works said the arena is "unique" and explained that it contains two ice rinks, large public spaces and locker rooms that require continuous climate control. "It is an ice rink, not just one — there's two. It is a humongous, cavernous, open space," Antonio said, noting that the facility's size and the need to maintain ice temperatures year-round drive the cost.

Commissioners pressed for context on whether the price was typical for comparable projects. County staff said the expense is a one-time capital investment and that maintenance costs afterward would be marginal. The board was also told the project will be funded from the Essex County Recreation Open Space Trust Fund across five years so there will be no increase to county debt. Finance staff described a cash-flow strategy that uses available capital funds now and is reimbursed through annual Open Space receipts over the repayment period.

The item passed on a roll call vote after commissioners asked technical and budgetary clarifying questions and were assured there was a competitively-bid contract and a repayment plan tied to existing trust-fund receipts.

The board recorded the funding authorization and directed staff to finalize contract documents and cost schedules. No litigation, environmental or permitting contingencies were raised during the discussion.

Next steps: staff will proceed with awarding the contract to the lowest responsive bidder per the specs and present final contract terms to the board when available.