Cordova council approves no-bid contract to replace Public Safety Building boiler

The Cordova City Council on Thursday authorized the city manager to hire Caliber Mechanical, without competitive bids, to replace the Public Safety Building boiler and make related repairs and inspections. In a second voice vote at the special meeting, the council waived the city's right to buy back a lot so its owners can sell to a new buyer.

Council member Kasey Kinsman said the boiler "supports jail and our law enforcement as well and dispatchers." He also cited his support for the city's EMS and firefighter team.

The special meeting packet cites a 16-week lead time for the replacement boiler and estimates that competitive procurement would add six to eight weeks of delay. Caliber Mechanical recommended a Weil McLain 80 Series commercial boiler with a Beckett commercial oil burner. The packet also cites continuity among equipment selection, installation and future maintenance.

Council member Debra Adams said the job carries a steep price but she saw no alternative, citing the timing and the company's familiarity with the building's boilers.

The council did not state a contract amount at the meeting. At the council's Oct. 21 meeting, Finance Manager Sam Greenwood called the replacement an urgent need and gave a rough figure of $65,000, saying it was not confirmed whether that included freight to Cordova. At the Nov. 4 meeting, Greenwood said the city would amend its 2026 budget for the replacement and that the old boiler would stay in place as an emergency backup.

The waiver covers the city's right of first refusal on Lot 4A, Block 3, USS 3345, letting the owners sell to a third party who has made an offer. The city had sold the lot to Diana Riedel and Kiley Burton for $53,000 under a purchase and sale agreement the council took up in late 2025.

Council member David Zastrow, who made the motion, said the lot is cleared and ready to build on, that the city cannot afford to take it back and that a builder would add to the tax base. Council member Lee Collins said the interested buyer is willing to sign the same agreements the current owners did.

The new buyer inherits the original deadline. Under the city's right of reentry, construction must be substantially complete five years from the first agreement, in early 2031. Kinsman asked, "Is it required for the third party to build exactly the same structure, the same plans?" The answer at the table was no: the buyer "can go better" but cannot go smaller than the original agreement. Staff also said assessors will use the sale in next year's property valuations.