Palo_Alto_Ventura_Community_Center__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 Ventura Community Center, a 21,481-square-foot daycare and community center facility located at 3990 Ventura Court, Palo Alto, California. The assessment, conducted on-site on March 16, 2023, and finalized on April 4, 2024, specifically focuses on the electrification analysis of the facility as part of the City's broader municipal electrification program. The Ventura Community Center, originally constructed in 1957 as an elementary school and converted to community child care operations in 1983, currently operates with heating-only mechanical systems including underfloor radiant heating in one wing, suspended hydronic heaters in another wing, and a gas furnace in the multipurpose room. The facility's electrical system remains largely original to its 1957 construction with copper wiring and switches, while plumbing systems feature copper supply piping and cast-iron waste piping. The assessment identifies all gas-fired equipment requiring conversion to electric alternatives and recommends electrical service upgrades of 800 amps to accommodate increased electrical demand from the proposed electrification systems.
The FCA documents that conversion from fossil fuel to electric systems will require comprehensive infrastructure upgrades beyond simple equipment replacement, including potential rewiring of the aging electrical distribution system, complete system redesigns for larger equipment conversions, and evaluation by licensed electrical engineers and the utility company to ensure compliance with electrical codes and adequate service capacity. The report notes that while these electrification improvements may not provide overall cost savings due to initial capital investment and solar panel costs, they are expected to generate significant greenhouse gas emission reductions aligned with the City's sustainability goals of 40 percent natural gas reduction by 2030 and 80 percent reduction by 2040. The assessment includes access to an online database for scenario generation to support capital planning across multiple facilities, and notes that a detailed cost and timing estimate for equipment replacement has been prepared based on remaining useful life analysis to establish a logical replacement sequence. No additional studies beyond the electrification analysis are recommended at this time.
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FACILITY CONDITION ASSESSMENT (FCA) - EXCERPT
Palo Alto Ventura Community Center kjarero Text Box 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.
Ventura Community Center 3990 Ventura Court 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.us.bureauveritas.com
BV CONTACT:
Anas Sadkhi
Program Manager
800.733.0660 x7296568
Anas.Sadkhi@bureauveritas.com
BV PROJECT #:
150140.22R000-047.354
DATE OF REPORT:
April 4, 2024
ON SITE DATE:
March 16, 2023
Bureau Veritas
6021 University Boulevard, Suite 200 | Ellicott City, MD 21043 | www.us.bureauveritas.com | p 800.733.0660 http://www.us.bureauveritascom/ http://www.emgcorp.com/
VENTURA COMMUNITY CENTER BUREAU VERITAS PROJECT: 150140.22R000-047.354
www.us.bureauveritas.com | p 800.733.0660
1 . Ex e c u t i v e Su m m a r y
Property Overview and Assessment Details
General Information
Property Type Daycare and Community Center
Main Address 3990 Ventura Court, Palo Alto, California 94306
Site Developed 1957
Site Area 4.1 acres (estimated)
Parking Spaces 31 total spaces all in open lots; two of which are accessible
Building Area 21,481 SF
Number of Stories 1 above grade
Outside Occupants/Leased Spaces Country Day Little School
Heffalump Preschool
Youth Community Services
Date(s) of Visit March 16, 2023
Management Point of Contact Mr. Murdo Nicolson Jr., Project Manager, Public Works
650.617.3154
Murdo.nicolson@cityofpaloalto.org
On-site Point of Contact (POC) Eduardo Gella
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
VENTURA COMMUNITY CENTER BUREAU VERITAS PROJECT: 150140.22R000-047.354
Signif icant/Systemic Findings and Deficiencies
Historical Summary
Ventura Community Center was constructed in 1957. The facility was an elementary school until 1979. Palo Alto Community Child Care took over the site in 1983 and changed the name at that time. A renovation was planned for 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic prevented the renovation from occurring. No renovations are planned at this time.
Architectural
The building structure is wood-framed with a wood framed flat roof. Exterior finishes are painted stucco and wood-framed windows. The roof was updated to a TPO/PVC finish in 2018. Interior finishes are the responsibility of the various tenants and are updated as needed.
Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing and Fire (MEPF)
The facility has heating only, with supplemental cooling provided by a PTAC for one room only. One wing is served by underfloor radiant heating. The other wing has suspended hydronic heaters. Each system has a dedicated boiler supplying heating hot water to the system. The multipurpose room has a suspended gas furnace for heating. The electrical system is generally original to construction with portions modernized as new equipment is installed. Electrical distribution is copper wiring and switches. The plumbing system is also original to the construction of the building. Plumbing supply piping is copper and the waste piping is cast-iron. Fire suppression is provided by fire extinguishers. A fire alarm system communicates with a fire alarm control panel. The panel and sensors are at the end of their expected life and Palo Alto Community Child Care is in the process of updating the system.
Site
The site has asphalt lots and play surfaces around the school. In addition, play structures with wood chips and rubberized flooring are present. The site has moderate landscaping. No irrigation was identified at the time of site visit.
Recommended Additional Studies
No additional studies recommended at this time.
VENTURA COMMUNITY CENTER BUREAU VERITAS PROJECT: 150140.22R000-047.354
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 Ventura Community Center 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 manage 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 to be required for the new electrical equipment. In addition, the new boilers and other larger equipment will require separate wiring from the new electrical panels or service noted below to the equipment.
a. 800 amps for Ventura CC
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.
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