The city of Phoenix will pay $8.2 million to repair or replace the heating and cooling system at the city’s crime lab, a complex system that ensures evidence is not contaminated.
Council voted 7-1 to approve the funding on Wednesday, with Councilmember Anna Hernandez as the only no vote. Vice Mayor Ann O’Brien was absent.
John Knell, administrator of the crime lab, told council the HVAC system and associated controls need to not only keep a precise temperature for the labs but also maintain negative pressure. Negative pressure in the lab helps to ensure that anything that is in the air in the lab space stays in the lab and does not escape while also pushing air into and out of the lab.
