Making sure that the members of state government can do their jobs – at all times – is the duty of the Office of Facilities & Property Management of the Kansas Department of Administration. It’s a demanding mission. When called upon to help them, we at McElroy’s strive to do everything in our power to provide what they need – when and how they need it.

Cooling Service Mandate

One of the Facilities & Property Management team’s many responsibilities is the cooling plant housed in the basement of the Docking State Office Building. While plans for the Docking building’s upper stories are evolving, the systems in the basement handle cooling for most of the state building complex, such as the Capitol and judicial buildings. The mandate for reliable cooling service remains clear. That’s why replacing an outdated chiller with a York 400-ton, water-cooled centrifugal chiller was an essential move.

Cooling Power Flexibility

“The old chiller unit was outdated and inefficient,” explains Jimmy Thomas, McElroy’s project manager. “This new chiller gives the state flexibility to provide a wide range of cooling – from full-on cooling for summer months to dialed-down cooling for limited winter-time needs. With this equipment update, the Docking plant can efficiently meet 24/7/365 cooling requirements. That’s ideal for keeping state government in motion.”

Access Challenge

Removing the massive old unit from its basement location, and bringing in the new chiller was tricky business. The only access was a garage-door-sized opening that wouldn’t allow use of a traditional crane. McElroy’s discussed solutions with Justin Vasquez of EquipmentShare, and he suggested a 75-ton rotator crane that Brown’s Super Service uses for towing and recovering very large trucks. That innovative idea was the perfect answer!

Rotator Crane Solution

“The rotator crane boom could extend horizontally through the opening and pick up the old chiller,” said Scott Schneider, McElroy’s project supervisor. “Then it retracted the boom to pull the unit through the opening, rotated around and placed it on a waiting flatbed. Picking the new chiller up from the delivery truck and moving it through the opening and down to the basement floor was just as easy.” In about two hours the old chiller system was entirely gone and the new system was on the floor and ready to set in its final position. McElroy’s connected all the piping and ensured that the new chiller system was ready to work correctly and efficiently.

Power of Teamwork

McElroy’s knows strong partnerships and teamwork are essential for getting things done quickly and correctly. “The crane access issue has been a long-standing concern,” said Jimmy. “Even though Justin’s suggestion sent the work to another company, that problem is now solved for good. Our relationship with the customer is stronger, and so is our partnership with Justin and EquipmentShare.”

Trust McElroy’s

The McElroy’s team welcomes challenging jobs that other companies may walk away from. When you need innovative solutions to meet your mechanical system needs, trust McElroy’s to get it done right, efficiently, cost-effectively and on time!