County staff recommend closing courthouse HVAC project; electrical issues flagged for separate work

County facilities staff recommended final settlement and bond release for the courthouse HVAC renovation after tests confirmed airflow matched original design parameters, but they flagged remaining electrical issues that require separate review and funding.

Will Clapsaddle briefed the Board on two remaining HVAC items: extending alley ducting for condenser exhaust and reworking attic return ducting to reduce stratification in the courtroom. Clapsaddle said Bighorn Engineering recommended the alley duct extension, Keenan’s completed the attic ducting changes and JEDI completed test-and-balance airflow verification. He said a JEDI test-and-balance report was corroborated by a confirming letter from Bighorn Engineering.

Based on the work and verified CFM readouts witnessed during testing, Clapsaddle recommended the county release final contract funds to contractor FCI and close the project. County staff said FCI, Keenan’s and the architect had been present during testing and that final settlement paperwork and a request from FCI would be prepared for publication and board authorization.

Separately, staff reported intermittent electrical problems. One thermistor on an outside-air unit has failed; the replacement part is small and inexpensive but subject to lead time from Keenan’s, and a project manager change at Keenan’s has delayed repairs. Staff described periodic trips of phase-protection devices and other unexplained electrical events (“gremlins”) and recommended pursuing a separate electrical assessment (for example use of county-contracted engineers, the original forensic electrical engineer, or Big Horn) rather than folding electrical upgrades into the HVAC closeout. Bighorn had provided an AVR (automatic voltage regulation) proposal for about $6,000; staff suggested further study and potential use of existing county engineering contracts to evaluate electrical protection options.

There was no formal vote in the work session. Commissioners accepted the recommendation in principle and asked staff to prepare language for a regular meeting agenda that would authorize final settlement, publication of the final settlement notice and release of the contract bond once publication requirements are met. Staff said FCI representatives (Sean Merrill, former project superintendent) were present and available to assist with closeout documentation.

Ending: Staff will work with FCI to obtain a written request for final settlement, publish required notices, and return a proposed board authorization for final settlement and bond release at a regular BOCC meeting. Electrical protection and AVR upgrades will be scoped and come back as a separate future recommendation.