HVAC, lighting upgrades could cost Latrobe $425K

It could cost $425,000 for Latrobe to replace outdated HVAC equipment at city hall and its solid waste transfer station while also installing updated LED lighting at the transfer station and the city parking garage.

City officials expect this month to learn the fate of their application for a share of Pennsylvania gaming revenue, which will help determine how the project proceeds.

Completing all the proposed work would cost an estimated $753,000, according to city manager Terry Carcella.

Latrobe is looking to replace nine internal air handlers and a hot water unit at city hall and to upgrade from window-based air conditioning units to central climate control at the transfer station.

The air handlers, Carcella said, are inefficient. At close to 50 years old, they have exceeded their expected lifespan and are overdue for replacement, he said.

“This is something we should have addressed years ago,” Carcella said. “We keep incurring more costs just to repair them.

“We’ve replaced the chillers and everything else.”

If the city receives the gaming-derived funding of $131,000 and a rebate through FirstEnergy’s Pennsylvania utilities Building Tune-up Program, it still would have to come up with $425,000 — likely through financing.

Without financing, Carcella said, “We knew that we couldn’t budget all the air handlers in one year. Irregardless, we’re going to have to do something.”

With the upgrades, Carcella told city council, it’s estimated the city could save $17,000 per year in energy costs.

Deputy Mayor Ralph Jenko expressed skepticism about the cited figure.

“I think energy savings rarely materialize as projected,” he said.