Committee reviews courthouse infrastructure projects: temporary chiller costs, HVAC conversion timeline, downtown generator siting and approves assessor office契

At the June 26 County Property Committee meeting, maintenance staff and the county architect briefed members on several courthouse and jail infrastructure projects, including a temporary chiller rental, ordered jail chillers, a planned two-pipe-to-four-pipe HVAC conversion, and ongoing discussion about siting a downtown generator.

Wesley (Linton Maintenance) told the committee the portable chiller that was recently installed behind the courthouse is functioning, and staff asked that rental costs be charged to available public-safety project funds. "So, we're looking at up till probably maybe the mid‑September...we'll say 12,000 a month with...a $5,000 setup fee," Wesley said when asked about rental costs and duration; he recommended forwarding the payment request to finance for processing.

Architect Kurt Rimley (BCA Architects) provided scheduling and scope details on several projects: glass for the treasurer's office has shipped, the jail chillers have been ordered with a late‑August to early‑September delivery window, and the two‑pipe‑to‑four‑pipe HVAC conversion will be put to bid July 14. Kurt gave an anticipated completion date for the HVAC conversion of October 2027 and noted some work will span fiscal years. Committee members referenced an earlier project estimate of about $950,000 when discussing budget carryover and phasing.

Don updated the committee on coordination with the City of Ottawa about a downtown generator for the courthouse. He said the city raised questions about a unit originally shown partly buried and described follow‑up with an electrical engineer (Curtis) who advised against burial because of potential flooding in an underground chamber. Don said a centrally located southern‑lawn enclosure might better preserve the courthouse's historical appearance and avoid blocking corner windows, but that dimensional drawings and a mockup would be needed for the historical society and the mayor to review. "I affirmed that the board had decided to go ahead with the generator for the downtown," Don said, and he will return with revised drawings and recommendations.

On contracts, the committee considered a resolution to authorize Leard Construction for assessor's office upgrades at $118,950 with a $5,000 gypsum‑board allowance. The motion to approve the contract was moved and seconded and the committee voted to approve the contract during the meeting.

Procedural note on finance: members moved to forward the request to charge the chiller rental to public safety funds to finance for processing; the committee discussed monthly rental costs and the possible duration through mid‑September but did not finalize full payment authorization during the meeting.

Next steps: Kurt and Wesley will continue to refine construction and HVAC schedules; Don will produce a more dimensional mockup for the generator siting and consult the mayor and the historical society before the committee or full board advances procurement. The committee set the next full board meeting for July 9.