Cole County approves $34,700 emergency repairs on health department chiller

County staff reported an outage of the health department's chiller on May 18 that left the facility with limited cooling capacity. A staff member told the commission three of four compressors had failed; the immediate repair option to replace the bad compressors was priced at $34,700.

Staff also presented two higher-cost options: a full unit replacement quoted at $125,750 plus $15,750 (line-item breakdown provided in the proposal) and an additional $10,000 for controls programming if a full replacement were chosen. Staff said lead time for a new unit from the factory was roughly two weeks, and that one compressor was currently running, limiting immediate risk while repairs were scheduled.

Commissioners discussed whether lightning or another electrical event had caused the failure, whether insurance could cover damage and deductibles, and where to charge the repair (capital improvements vs. general fund). One commissioner said they would check insurance; staff noted capital improvement funds were available but limited.

Because the outage created an operational emergency at a health facility and a repair kit was immediately available, a motion to approve the compressor repairs at the health department for $34,700 (emergency work) was made, seconded and approved.

Next steps: staff will proceed with the compressor repairs, check insurance options and report back on final charges and any follow-up controls or replacement decisions.