The Elkhart Common Council approved $1 million in coronavirus relief funding Monday to upgrade the Lerner Theatre’s heating and cooling system.
The theater’s HVAC system was originally installed during a renovation that lasted from 2009 to 2011. It has since been damaged by hail and power surges, and city officials say increased demand on the system has pushed the 10 units to the end of their life.
“The simple matter is we have to do this in order to keep operations at the Lerner going, especially as we move into summer heat,” Councilman Aaron Mishler said Monday.
The city plans to replace eight of the theater’s rooftop units, though the current ductwork only allows two to be higher-capacity. Hail guards and brownout protections will also be installed on the new units.
The council already approved $500,000 for the project back in October, and added $1 million in American Rescue Plan funding Monday night.
“[With] a building of that size, this project would have had to be done at some point,” Councilman Brian Thomas said. “And we know more about the systems than we did before, so maybe we can squeak some more time out of these new units.”
The city began exploring an HVAC upgrade for the Lerner Theatre in October 2021. Previous documents filed with the council said the current system has been well maintained, but was “extraordinarily undersized” for the theater’s needs.
However, a report from the consulting firm DLZ found that the units were appropriately sized for the time, but the “desired operational conditions” have changed in the intervening decade.
“The Lerner of 2019 and 2022 is seeing a lot more traffic than we saw back in the 2009, 2010 time,” Quality of Place Director Corinne Straight said at a Feb. 28 finance committee meeting.
City Engineer Tory Irwin said the city is currently in the design phase of the project, and plans to accept and award bids in September and October, respectively.
He said construction is expected to begin late this year and continue “well into 2023,” but supply chain issues and the theater season will make it difficult to nail down dates.
“It’s all going to depend on how long parts take to come [and] coordination with the Lerner and their events, to make sure that when we’re replacing the units, it’s not when we’re having a major event,” Irwin said at the Feb. 28 meeting.
In the meantime, Straight said the city budgeted extra money this year for Lerner repairs in case the current system breaks down before the upgrade.
In addition to the Lerner project, the $1 million ARP allocation will cover a full inventory of the city’s HVAC systems so the city can develop a plan for future maintenance and repair.
Contact Gemma at gdicarlo@wvpe.org or follow her on Twitter at @gemma_dicarlo.
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