Civic building boilers due for replacement

By MICHELE YOUNG

The two boilers heating the Thompson-Nicola Regional District Civic Building downtown are due to be replaced at an estimated cost of $80,000 to $100,000.

TNRD facilities and capital projects manager Tom McNeil said Tuesday the boilers are about 15 years old — their expected life span. Two years ago, they were inspected and it was noticed at that time that their heat production was declining.

The replacement has been put out to tender.

The boilers are large — about four metres by two metres by one and a half metres — and they were craned into place while construction on the building was being done.

They’re so big, in fact, that the boilers will have to be cut into pieces to be removed. Their replacements shouldn’t be a problem.

“The new units are considerably smaller,” said McNeil.

The building houses the downtown library, TNRD offices and Kamloops Art Gallery. The gallery needs temperatures and humidity to be kept within a certain range so artworks aren’t damaged, which is why the boilers are being replaced during the summer months. It’s also a quieter time of year for the gallery and heat won’t be needed.

The old boilers might have some use even after they’ve been removed. McNeil said one contractor has said Thompson Rivers University might want the units for its students to practice with.