Marshall County to advertise bids after judicial building HVAC fails; replacement could take six weeks

Speaker 2, the presiding official, told the court the judicial building HVAC unit has been failing for months and that the county has repeatedly contacted the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) about the problem. "It has 2 compressors. 1 compressor's burn up, so it's completely useless. The other compressor is it's it's keeping up, but barely," Speaker 2 said. He warned, "If that compressor goes out, there will be no heat in the district courtroom."

Because AOC had not requested or approved a change-out, Speaker 2 said the county will proceed to advertise an RFP to solicit bids for repair or replacement so that bids are on hand if approval is granted. He told the court the unit "will take a minimum of 6 weeks" to obtain once ordered, and emphasized the urgency of preparing a contingency plan should the remaining compressor fail.

The court voted to authorize advertising for bids; the motion carried. No dollar amounts, vendor names, or exact delivery dates were disclosed in the public discussion. Speaker 2 said the county had repeatedly contacted AOC but that AOC "hasn't requested anything or approved a change out."

What this means: If the remaining compressor fails before a replacement can be shipped and installed, the district courtroom could be without heat for an extended period (Speaker 2 estimated a minimum six-week lead time for the replacement). The county is now positioned to receive bids and act quickly if and when AOC authorizes the work.