Facilities report: LED upgrades, HVAC repairs and a tornado drill tested evacuation plans

Austin Wit, facilities, parks and transit director, told the Dunn County Neighbors committee the facilities team continues routine maintenance and is converting fluorescent lighting to LED, replacing HVAC components and assembling new medication carts for nursing stations.

Wit said maintenance budgets are roughly 45% utilized five and a half months into the year and listed carryforward capital projects for 2027 including baseboard trim replacement and a sign replacement for the Neighbors campus. He noted state vendor contracts can speed procurement for flooring and other work.

Wit described a May 27 tornado disaster drill in which residents were moved by facility vans to an interior break room, department heads received calls and the exercise validated agreements with county transit and neighboring nursing homes for buses and overflow space if a full evacuation were required. Carmen Meyer added that the county keeps mutual‑aid agreements at varying distances (including one roughly 50 miles away) in place for worst‑case relocations.

The committee asked how drills map to realistic evacuations and learned that drills use staff actors in some roles and are not fully realistic for moving 130 residents; staff said shelter‑in‑place is the first option unless the building is unsafe and incident command roles are predefined.

No formal action was taken; members thanked the facilities team and discussed a future site tour of the Neighbors campus.