Webster County supervisors on Aug. 12 approved up to $20,000 to repair the Department of Human Services building elevator and address accessibility concerns.

A county staff member told the board the elevator “guts need to be replaced” and that the county is working to obtain competitive bids to determine whether repair or replacement offers the best value and longevity. “We’ve been having some issues with the elevator over at the DHS building. The, the guts need to be replaced. I'm trying to get the best bang out of the buck, whether we're going to actually go forward with this or if we're gonna have to be making some other changes,” the staff member said. He added that the elevator is currently running but the county must act to remain ADA compliant.

The board approved the work and the motion carried unanimously. Staff said they will return to the board with the lowest bid and any recommendation about replacement versus repair; they did not commit to a replacement timeline at the meeting.

The approved not-to-exceed amount is $20,000; staff said additional decisions will be made after obtaining bids and assessing whether a replacement would be a longer-term solution.