John Finnegan, a principal with a geotechnical and environmental engineering firm, presented the company’s qualifications for on-call geotechnical, environmental and special-inspection services and described past regional projects in North Central Washington.

Finnegan said the firm maintains extensive AASHTO testing accreditation and can provide special inspectors certified in reinforced concrete, structural steel welding and other building-related inspections. Commissioners and staff asked about the firm’s experience with geothermal ground‑source heat-pump systems; Finnegan said the firm had worked on several geothermal projects over the past two decades and that his environmental division lead, Steve Perchett, handles ground‑source systems and well work.

County staff and commissioners described a courthouse/jail geothermal system that has not functioned properly since installation, noting missing basic instrumentation (flow meters) and damaged well casings. Participants said earlier installations lacked monitoring, preventing staff from diagnosing flow and injection problems. Finnegan said geotechnical and hydrogeologic investigation and instrumenting the system (flow meters, pressure monitoring) would be the first step to diagnosing problems, then coordinating with HVAC and electrical engineers for mechanical repairs.

Commissioners asked how quickly the firm could mobilize for emergency or urgent investigations; Finnegan said the company maintains regional staff and special inspectors to respond on short notice and outlined likely on-site timelines and costs would depend on site access and the scope of testing.

The board did not take a contract award at this meeting but discussed scheduling an executive-session procurement discussion for on-call architect/engineer selection and agreed to set aside time to review proposals and interview candidates in the coming week.