The Lorain County Board of Commissioners approved change order No. 1 for $71,683 to William Brothers Builders Inc. to cover additional work on the Lorain County Office of Emergency Management (EMA) project. The work includes separate fire alarm and electrical services, additional duplex receptacles, roof drain piping relocation, rooftop HVAC adaptations and additional excavation and concrete work.

Jeff (Director Freeman, title in transcript listed as director) explained the change focused largely on the fire-alarm system, noting crews installed lines and detectors and connected them into a newly configured system. “This is largely for the fire alarm system they’re installing,” the director said.

Staff said the EMA’s fire-alarm system has been separated from the adjacent Gates (Record Center) building to avoid confusion about which system is signaling an alarm. “So what they’ve done is they’ve separated those two buildings from one another,” a county staff speaker said, adding that the area designated for the 911 center remains unchanged and EMA has not occupied that 911-designated area.

Communications staff said the 911 telephone system still runs on copper lines that return to the Gates building and that those copper lines will remain until a future phone-system upgrade. “None of that communication there has been addressed … those copper lines still run back to the Gates building,” Todd (last name not provided) said.

The board voted to approve the change order; commissioners recorded their votes in favor.

Why it matters: The change order funds work that county staff say reduces confusion during fire alarms by separating systems for neighboring county facilities and improves the EMA facility’s operational readiness. The 911 phone-system upgrade was raised as an outstanding item separate from this change order.