County exploring three-year plan to upgrade courthouse heating and air

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

The outdated heating and cooling system at the Putnam County Courthouse reached its low point back in January with two failed boilers and temperatures in the single digits.

It's a position county officials don't want to visit again.

In the time since, the county has purchased two new boilers for the building, one of which was installed immediately and another awaiting installation.

Head custodian Brian Smith was back at the Monday morning meeting of the Putnam County Courthouse with some ideas for upgrading the entire system.

Smith reported outdated steam equipment in the basement, aging fan coil units throughout the building, a chiller nearing the end of its working life and an inadequate pipe system.

Considering the scope and cost of the work, Smith proposed a three-year upgrade plan for the courthouse.

The first step in such a plan would be removing the outdated steam heat equipment from the basement. This would free up space and improve the efficiency of the new boilers units.

Additionally, work in the first year would involve the installation of the second boiler, which is needed to keep up with some of the coldest days of the winter and to provide some security, should either unit fail.

The second step would be the installation of the fan coil units throughout the building. Smith said the work would need to start on the first floor, making its way to the fourth floor.

Finally, installation of a new chiller would be on the agenda for year three. Smith said the current unit, which is not nearly as efficient as new models, was installed in approximately 1985.

The additional element to this is the outdated pipe system in the old building. Ideally, it would run on a four-pipe system, which would allow for heating or cooling to be run at any given time, an important element in a large building where temperatures can vary throughout.

Currently, either the heating system or the cooling system is on. The only control available in any individual room is how hard the fan blows.

The commissioners agreed that replacement of the current system is vital, but the question comes back to funding. While not approving any further action (outside of the installation of the already purchased boiler), the commissioners authorized Smith to move forward in further exploring the county's options and what costs will be.

Additionally, they requested figures from Auditor Lorie Hallett on the current balance of the cumulative courthouse fund as well as how much money can likely be expected in the fund in the coming years.

Smith estimated that by having county maintenance workers do the job, with some contracted help, the upgrade will cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $300,000 and take three years.

Calling in an outside contractor for the entire project, while much quicker, would also cost in the ballpark of $1 million.

In other business:

* The commissioners approved the creation of a Global Information System (GIS) office beginning in January 2014.

Previously the plat office, the department has been under the direction of the auditor's office and previously other offices.

However, the varied uses and demands of the new GIS software led the commissioners to believe the department would be better suited as its own department, with plat officer Robbie Cudnick appointed directly by the commissioners.

The funding of the new department will be examined when budgets are discussed later this year. Multiple sources will likely be tapped, as Cudnick does work for a number of other county offices.

* The commissioners approved the hire of a part-time administrative assistant to serve the health and coroner's departments.

The salary will be drawn from the health department's tobacco settlement money.

Requests from the health department for a job share involving the new hire remain up in the air because of questions regarding benefits. County Attorney Jim Ensley will have a definitive answer at an upcoming meeting.

The hire has been approved, however, subject to the county council's approval as well.

* County highway co-supervisor Mike Ricketts reported that strip patching and ditching work continue in multiple locations.

Next week, strip patching will halt when paving begins on County Road 850 West, south of State Road 236. Paving on County Road 900 East should begin in two to three weeks.

Additionally, chip and seal work will begin in a number of locations next week.

Ricketts also discussed the possibility of overtime for highway workers, within reason, during the summer months, considering the short season for completing road work.

"There's only a certain amount of time we can do this," Ricketts said.

The commissioners authorized the request, understanding that some days it is more efficient to have a little bit of overtime to complete a job, rather than wasting extra days and gas on extra trips to a location.

"We're going to trust you not to abuse it," Commissioner David Berry said.

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