County facilities report: aging HVAC, fiber issues and boiler planning

Jeff Phelps delivered the quarterly building-maintenance report, describing a recent string of equipment failures during prolonged heat. He told commissioners the health department unit’s compressor failed and replacement required new components incompatible with old coils; the tag office unit is about 26 years old and likely will need replacement next year. "The air conditioner at the tag office, however, that unit is 26 years old," Phelps said.

Phelps said staff swapped motors to keep an IT room air conditioner running, patched an environmental-health unit by replacing a capacitor, and are continuing routine chiller maintenance. He reported a recent courthouse internet outage tied to fiber and described plans to run a new 12-pair fiber cable directly from the phone room to IT to create a more robust feed and leave spare pairs for backup. The board acknowledged those near-term capital needs and directed staff to continue tracking costs for next year’s budget and to brief the incoming maintenance lead during the transition.