The Board of Supervisors on Aug. 12 approved a proposal from Baseline Building Automations of Des Moines for $106,600 to replace the courthouse master controller for the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning building-controls system.

The facilities director said the county budgeted $86,800 for the project in FY26 but the current building controller has stopped functioning and the county must replace the head-end controller to restore proper monitoring and control. “The existing controller right now is not functioning, and so we're sort of running with our blindfolds on in the building right now,” the facilities director said.

The director told the board the new system will provide improved graphics, better remote accessibility (with support from the county IT department) and will set the county up for future phasing of field-device upgrades throughout the courthouse. The board approved the purchase and authorized the chair to sign the contract.

Why it matters: The master controller is central to building operations; failure reduces the county’s ability to monitor and manage HVAC, which can affect energy use and occupant comfort and safety.

What’s next: Facilities and IT will schedule installation and integrate the new controller with existing systems; additional field-device upgrades may follow as funding permits.