Committee approves cooling-tower repair funding, coordinates with roof work

The Facilities & Capital Committee voted to fund replacement or major repair of the courthouse cooling tower after staff described it as a likely short-term failure and a critical component of the building’s air‑conditioning loop.

A committee member described the cooling tower as "a serious threat" to summer operations and said a failure could leave the building without air conditioning for weeks. Staff recommended repairing the tower and coordinating that work with a membrane roof project. The committee noted that heat pumps distributed through the building depend on the cooling tower to function.

After discussion the committee rescinded an initial motion and then approved a motion to fund $68,006.47 for the cooling tower repair; a commissioner suggested rounding the allocation to $70,000, but the record shows the committee approved the motion as presented. Committee members noted the roof repair (approximately $91,901) had already been approved at a previous meeting and that coordination between contractor schedules would be important so roof crews and HVAC contractors do not conflict on the same rooftop work.

Staff said the vendor who maintains the HVAC system had provided a quote for the cooling tower and that using the long‑standing contractor has advantages because of familiarity with the existing system; one participant recommended obtaining at least two estimates for competitive pricing. The committee also discussed practical sequencing (tower before roof vs roof then tower) and mitigation steps for interim cooling capacity.

The motion to fund the cooling tower repair passed by voice vote.