Logo courtesy of the City of Gridley

GRIDLEY, CA (MPG) – Air conditioning at Gridley City Hall is more than a matter of human comfort. When the cooling system serving the city’s server room failed, temperatures climbed high enough to threaten equipment that supports communications, data storage, network access and other municipal operations.

The failed unit was replaced before the Sept. 8 City Council meeting, when council members were asked to approve a $22,514.37 supplemental appropriation for the unbudgeted emergency expense.

City Administrator Elisa Arteaga said the unit had stopped working completely and temperatures in the server room rose rapidly. At one point, temperatures in the server room approached 100 degrees. Officials opened the door between the server area and the council chambers, increased the air conditioning on the chambers’ separate system and directed the cooler air into the overheated room.

“We had to put fans to literally blow air in there,” Arteaga said.

The room houses critical information technology equipment used for city operations, including police systems and other data services. Unlike ordinary office computers, the equipment requires continuous climate control to prevent damage and service interruptions.

Officials determined the old system was beyond repair and replaced it on an emergency basis. A second unit was added to provide backup cooling if one system fails in the future.

Arteaga said the previous unit may have dated back to about 2012. Officials obtained comparative costs and recommendations before selecting the replacement equipment.

Arteaga said the city’s information technology provider also handles server rooms for the City of Oroville. She said equipment vendors inspected the existing system and helped determine what replacement units were needed before the work moved forward. Staff obtained comparative costs and recommendations before selecting the replacement equipment.

In addition to Officials damaged servers, telecommunications equipment and other electronics, prolonged heat could potentially have caused power outages and significantly higher repair or replacement costs.