Council hears park restroom and municipal-building HVAC options; staff flags $2.5M HVAC plan

Councilmembers raised park restroom access as a recurring constituent concern and asked staff to explore modular permanent restroom options that would be incremental and lower-cost than full water/sewer hookups. Staff said standalone self-contained restroom units cost in the low tens of thousands each and that building permanent units with water/sewer would be significantly more expensive.

On the municipal building, engineers proposed either replacing the existing water chiller or installing multiple mini-split systems; staff said a temporary $30,000 fix could buy time while they assess roof-related warranty issues and long-term costs. Staff estimated the full municipal building electrical and HVAC replacement could reach $2.5 million and suggested short-term debt as one likely funding mechanism.

Council asked staff to return with phased options and financing scenarios and to avoid creating warranty risk when placing equipment on the roof.