County officials say alarm system, controls at Riverside need urgent repair; staff to produce prioritized cost list

County commissioners were told Monday that Riverside, the county’s long‑running nursing facility, needs prompt repairs after staff found parts for a decades‑old wandering‑resident alarm no longer available and several building control systems nearing the end of their useful life. Commissioners asked staff to prioritize needed work and return with cost estimates.

Why it matters: Facility failures that affect resident safety — including alarm bracelets that stop transmitting and controls that do not register elevator and door signals — create immediate operational and safety challenges and may require reallocation of capital funds or competitive bidding for replacements.

Commission discussion and staff direction
A county official told commissioners the alarm system installed “about 30 years ago” is no longer fully serviceable on Unit 4, and staff have relied on other units to cover residents affected by the failure. The official said a resident who had wandered recently underscored the urgency of restoring reliable alarms. Commissioners were not presented final cost estimates at the meeting and instead directed staff to prepare a prioritized list of repairs and vendor pricing.

The official said some capital items recently budgeted arrived under budget and raised the possibility of diverting portions of those funds to higher‑priority maintenance at Riverside. Commissioners said some work will likely require bids; staff were asked to return with numbers and options.

Scope of needed work and related infrastructure issues
Staff described multiple needs across Riverside: failing alarm bracelets and the unit‑level receivers that register them; building control systems and boiler controls that no longer communicate or register accurately; humidity and air‑exchange problems in one building; and localized roofing and structural repairs. Staff identified Building B controls as the most immediate concern and said boilers in Buildings B and C are old but recently partially replaced in Building C.

Separately, the county was alerted that the state police are upgrading SPOTS terminals and associated firewall requirements. The county official said the Association of Counties and a county contact were engaged to determine how smaller communities that use SPOTS terminals will meet the new firewall requirements; staff were awaiting a report from a county contact working with the state.

Discussion versus decisions
This agenda item produced discussion and staff direction — not a formal vote on a repair contract. Commissioners formally approved the meeting minutes at the start of the session, but on Riverside the board’s action was to direct staff to develop a prioritized repair list with cost estimates and vendor information and to return with recommendations.

Next steps and timeline
Staff were instructed to reach out to existing vendors (including the company identified as currently maintaining the building controls) and to provide a prioritized list and pricing at a future meeting. Commissioners noted some repairs will require public bidding and that staff should identify which items can be handled through reallocation of under‑budgeted capital items.

Ending
Commissioners emphasized the priority of resident safety while the county develops estimates and procurement plans; no contracts or expenditures were approved at the meeting.