Palo_Alto_College_Terrace_Library__Excerpt_from_FCA.pdf
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- Attached to
- Electrification of City Facilities
- Solicitation number
- PE-24001
- Issued by
- Santa Clara County, California
About this file
This is a Facility Condition Assessment (FCA) excerpt prepared by Bureau Veritas for the City of Palo Alto's College Terrace Library, located at 2300 Wellesley Street in Palo Alto, California. The assessment, completed on March 25, 2024, following an on-site inspection on February 23, 2023, evaluates the facility's overall condition and identifies all fossil fuel-consuming equipment requiring conversion to electric alternatives as part of the City's broader electrification initiative. The College Terrace Library is a one-story, 5,050-square-foot wood-frame structure built in 1936 and renovated in 2010, with an additional 2,090-square-foot daycare tenant (College Terrace Children's Center) occupying leased space. The assessment identifies a single gas tankless water heater (3.2 GPM capacity, installed in 2010) located in the attic as the primary equipment requiring electrification. The FCA establishes baseline conditions for existing electrical infrastructure, noting a 400-amp electrical panel with sufficient capacity to accommodate the water heater conversion without requiring a service upgrade, though verification by a design engineer and utility company will be necessary during final installation.
The electrification analysis acknowledges that conversion to electric alternatives may not achieve overall cost savings due to initial capital investment and solar panel costs, but the improvements are expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions consistent with the City's goal of achieving an 80 percent reduction in natural gas usage by 2040 (with interim targets of 40 percent reduction by 2030). The assessment notes that updating existing electrical wiring may be required based on the age and condition of infrastructure, and a cost estimate for an electrical engineer study has been included in the evaluation. The College Terrace Library is one of five pilot facilities included in the City's electrification program, which is intended to expand to 18 total facilities across multiple phases. No specific budget allocation, award amount, or pricing information is provided in the FCA excerpt, as the document serves as baseline technical data to inform design proposals from qualified consulting firms responding to the related RFP due March 30, 2026.
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FACILITY CONDITION ASSESSMENT (FCA) - EXCERPT
Palo Alto College Terrace Library
The following pages are excerpts from the City's Facility Condition Assessment Report and include only sections relevant to the electrification scope for this project.
College Terrace Library 2300 Wellesley Street Palo Alto, California 94306
FACILITY CONDITION ASSESSMENT
prepared for
City of Palo Alto 250 Hamilton Avenue Palo Alto, California 94301
PREPARED BY:
Bureau Veritas 6021 University Boulevard, Suite 200 Ellicott City, Maryland 21043 800.733.0660 www.bureauveritas.com
BV CONTACT:
Matt Anderson Program Manager
800.733.0660 x7297613 matt.anderson@bureauveritas.com
BV PROJECT #:
150140.22R000-011.354
DATE OF REPORT:
Match 25, 2024
ON SITE DATE:
February 23, 2023
Bureau Veritas
6021 University Boulevard, Suite 200 | Ellicott City, MD 21043 | www.us.bureauveritas.com | p 800.733.0660
COLLEGE TERRACE LIBRARY BUREAU VERITAS PROJECT: 150140.22R000-011.354
www.us.bureauveritas.com | p 800.733.0660
1 . E x e c u t i v e S u m m a r y
Property Overview and Assessment Details
General Information
Property Type Library
Main Address 2300 Wellesley Street, Palo Alto, California 94306
Site Developed 1938
Renovated 2010
Site Area 0.7 acres (estimated)
Parking Spaces 8 total spaces all in open lots; 2 of which are accessible
Building Area 5,050 SF
Number of Stories One above grade
Outside Occupants/Leased Spaces College Terrace Children’s Center – 2,090 square feet
Date(s) of Visit February 23, 2023
Management Point of Contact Murdo Nicolson Jr., Project Manager, Public Works
650.317.3154 murdo.nicolson@cityofpaloalto.org
On-site Point of Contact (POC) James Brown
Assessment and Report Prepared By Aren Hofland
Reviewed By Daniel White
Technical Report Reviewer for
Anas Sadkhi
Program Manager
Anas.Sadkhi@bureauveritas.com
800.733.0660 x7296568
COLLEGE TERRACE LIBRARY BUREAU VERITAS PROJECT: 150140.22R000-011.354
Signif icant/Systemic Findings and Deficiencies
Historical Summary
The College Terrace Library was built in 1936. The building was renovated in 2010.
Architectural
The building structure is wood frame with a stucco exterior finish. The roof is wood framed crossed hip with clay tiles finish.
Interior finishes were updated in 2010. A daycare leases approximately 2,090 square feet and is responsible for their interior finishes.
Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing and Fire (MEPF)
Heating and cooling are provided by a split system heat pumps which are nearing their end of life. Domestic water is provided by an electric water heater. Plumbing distribution system is copper supply with cast-iron waste. The electrical distribution is copper wiring throughout. A fire alarm system with strobes, alarms, pull stations, exit signs, and emergency lights communicates with a fire alarm control panel. The building has wet-pipe fire sprinklers.
Site
The site has a large backyard with play area and a surrounding neighborhood park. A pergola in the backyard provides shade near the building. A play structure with wood chip play surface has a suspended shaded structure covering it.
Recommended Additional Studies
No additional studies recommended at this time.
Facility Condition Index (FCI)
One of the major goals of the FCA is to calculate each building’s Facility Condition Index (FCI), which provides a theoretical objective indication of a building’s overall condition. By definition, the FCI is defined as the ratio of the cost of current needs divided by current replacement value (CRV) of the facility. The chart below presents the industry standard ranges and cut-off points.
FCI Ranges and Description
0 – 5% In new or well-maintained condition, with little or no visual evidence of wear or deficiencies.
5 – 10% Subjected to wear but is still in a serviceable and functioning condition.
10 – 30% Subjected to hard or long-term wear. Nearing the end of its useful or serviceable life.
30% and above Has reached the end of its useful or serviceable life. Renewal is now necessary.
The deficiencies and lifecycle needs identified in this assessment provide the basis for a portfolio-wide capital improvement funding strategy. In addition to the current FCI, extended FCI’s (EFCI) have been developed to provide owners the intelligence needed to plan and budget for the “keep-up costs” for their facilities. As such the 3-year, 5-year, and 10-year FCI’s are calculated by dividing the anticipated needs of those respective time periods by current replacement value. As a final point, the FCI’s ultimately provide more value when used to relatively compare facilities across a portfolio instead of being over-analyzed and scrutinized as stand-alone values.
COLLEGE TERRACE LIBRARY BUREAU VERITAS PROJECT: 150140.22R000-011.354
3 . E l e c t r i f i c a t i o n
This Electrification analysis investigates replacing all fossil fuel consuming equipment within the buildings with electric alternatives. These improvements are identified as Energy and Sustainability replacements instead of traditional “like and in kind” replacements that are generally included in a FCA report. These replacements may not have an overall cost savings due the initial investment and the cost of solar panels to generate electricity. There is expected to be a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions as a result of these improvements.
The tables below lists all of the gas-fired equipment currently in use at the College Terrace Library building.
A cost and timing estimate for the “Electrification” of fossil fuel consuming system has been prepared based on the expected remaining useful life (RUL) of the gas-fired equipment. This initial table identifies when the equipment is expected to be replaced. This provides a logical sequence for replacement at this facility. When the replacement is considered on a city-wide basis there may need to be changes to the schedule shown in this report.
Part of this contract includes access to an online database that can be used to generate various scenarios for replacement toward the City’s goal of an 80 percent reduction in current natural gas usage by 2030. A 40 percent reduction in current natural gas usage by 2030 and a 80 percent reduction in current natural gas usage by 2040 can also be generated using the software.
In order to convert the gas-fired equipment to electrical usage, an increase in electrical demand at the building will occur. This will require ensuring that the electrical service equipment is of adequate size to handle the increased load.
There are several things to consider before replacing the gas-fired equipment with electrical equipment.
1. Updating your present infrastructure will be required for the replacement of larger equipment. Depending on the type of equipment proposed (e.g. gas-fired water heater to heat pump water heater or wall-mounted heater to heat pump), a complete system re-design may be required to accommodate refrigerant piping. Generally, replacement of a single gas-fired water heater can be accomplished with the existing electrical system, as long as 240 volt service is present in the building. Updating your present electrical wiring may be required, based on the age and condition of your wiring.
2. For the purposes of this report and capital planning estimate we have assumed an increase in the service will not be required. There is only one gas tankless water heater to be replaced. It appears that this can be connected to the existing 400 AMP electrical panel. This will need to be verified by a design engineer at the time of the proposed installation as the electrical equipment and service can change over time. New wiring to the attic where the water heater is located will be required and is included in the Electrification Cost Tables.
3. Any changes made to your electrical system should be evaluated by an Electrical Engineer and the Utility Company to ensure that the facility electrical system and the public electrical service to the property will meet the new load requirements and for compliance with all electrical codes. A cost for that study has been included in this evaluation.
4. The scope of this assessment is visual only and the wire size, type, age and condition are concealed and were not reviewed. If your wiring is at the end of its useful life replacement of all or part may be required. Things to consider beside the cost of a new electrical system, is the cost of shutdown of your present electrical system during the changeover and remodeling.
ID UF_Code Component Attributes Capacity Location
Replacement
Equipment
Dataplate
Year Barcode
5435046 D2012 Water Heater Gas, Tankless 3.2 ‐GPM Attic Electric, Tankless 2010 65 WH‐1
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