In downtown Seattle, WA, a large commercial building stood uninhabited for over a decade. In 2021, the Central District Community Preservation and Development Authority (CD CPDA) took ownership, naming it The McKinney Center for Community and Economic Development. Despite securing a fitting and ideal location, they quickly found that the 10 years of neglect required some immediate attention.

The Problems of Neglecting Commercial Building Maintenance

It became apparent that it wasn’t just the years of vacancy that led to the building’s many problems – there was a general lack of care that extended beyond a decade. As an example, the picture to the right shows what a control panel looked like when we first saw the building.

Failing to perform regular maintenance on a building’s systems will lead to severe and expensive problems down the line, and unfortunately, we were seeing the results of that neglect.

Though the CD CPDA’s facility had a variety of issues, LONG was there to specifically address the mechanical and building automation ones, with the main goal of making the building operational and healthy for occupants. Of note:

• The boilers used in the building were extremely outdated and nonfunctional.
• There was a VFD (variable frequency drive) simply sitting on top of the roof – and not where it was supposed to be.
• The AHUs (air handling units) were in need of extensive maintenance to be effective.
• The building controls were functional but not up to date and the graphics did not reflect all the systems installed within the building.

Refurbishing Mechanical and Controls Systems

Identifying and prioritizing the problems in the McKinney Center was step one; step 2 was to implement the solutions. This proved to be a difficult task because of the age of the equipment and budgetary constraints. Budgets are the most common obstacle we find with any project, and we’re well versed in tailoring our solutions to fit within that budget. We collaborated with the CD CPDA to find the right balance, not exceeding their financial restrictions while also developing a plan to meet their needs.

With the help of our local mechanical partner, JH Kelly, we:

• Replaced the outdated boiler with a newer, more efficient one.
• Replaced the VFD and some piping in the AHU. It’s now functional, and occupants receive good airflow in the building.
• Left the building controls in place but added a Niagara JACE controller on top of it. This will convert the building to IP-based controls, modernizing the building and helping systems communicate better before.
• Trained the Facilities Supervisor on how to use the new systems, how to perform some preventative maintenance, and how to fix problems when they arise.

Updating the McKinney Center

This old, rundown building was now up and running, and it didn’t require expensive equipment replacements or full system overhauls. Refurbishing the old equipment may be more difficult, but it’s more cost-effective. And updating the controls with a better JACE without changing the front end allowed for more functionality and user graphical interface. Now, the facilities supervisor can look at each floor of the building and see what is or isn’t working, along with performing remote setpoint adjustments, removing the need to go floor by floor to adjust schedules.

This was great progress on the McKinney center, but there are additional problems that still need to be addressed. In their recent quarterly newsletter, CD CPDA CEO Shaudé Moore affirmed their commitment to infrastructure development: “We are exploring opportunities to improve our building to better serve our community. This will include expanding our facilities and upgrading our technology.”

The work the CD CPDA does in the Seattle area is important, so it was important that they have a healthy and comfortable space in which to do it. We’re happy to have been a part of that, and look forward to working with them on future improvements that will allow them to continue to serve the Seattle community!

The McKinney Center is proof that you don’t have to demolish old buildings, but you can refurbish them. If you have an existing commercial building that needs mechanical, controls, or security system improvements, reach out to us and we’ll work with you just like we did with the CD CPDA.

About the CD CPDA

The Central District Community Preservation and Development Authority (CD CPDA) was created in 2019 by the WA State Legislature to mitigate the adverse effects of major public works and capital projects on the CD. The CD CPDA’s mission is to drive economic empowerment for African-American, other minority and under-served communities through employment, career advancement, education, training and business development. Visit themckinneycenter.org for more information.