Cowlitz County to seek funding authorization for Hall of Justice HVAC and electrical overhaul

Millig Design Build presented detailed results of bidding and preconstruction work for a planned HVAC, controls and electrical upgrade at the Hall of Justice building and asked the Board of County Commissioners to schedule a funding authorization to allow contracts to be drafted and long-lead equipment to be ordered.

The project aims to reduce the building's high operating costs (staff said electricity alone exceeds $200,000 annually), address life-safety risks tied to recalled Federal Pacific electrical panels, improve occupant comfort and replace an obsolete, proprietary controls system. Millig reported competitive bids and a guaranteed maximum price package that keeps the project slightly under the board's August 2023 $9 million budget target, with a projected net cost to the county of about $8.375 million after preliminary incentive estimates.

Lauren Donnelly of Millig told commissioners, "we are under budget," and described the scope as a full HVAC replacement (rooftop condensing units and air handlers, duct modifications, refurbishment of the perimeter hydronic heating system), replacement of recalled Federal Pacific panels and main electrical distribution upgrades, replacement of the proprietary Siemens building controls with a nonproprietary Niagara-based system, asbestos abatement primarily of pipe insulation, and optional ceiling tile and lighting work added because bids came back favorably.

Millig said the county will receive an open-book guaranteed maximum price (GMP) contract drawn through the Washington Department of Enterprise Services (DES). Millig forecast nearly 1 million kilowatt-hours in annual energy savings and reported preliminary support from Cowlitz PUD in the form of roughly $300,000 in utility incentives; Donnelly said the state's clean-buildings "early adopter" incentive could add roughly $260,000. Donnelly also described a dollar-based energy-savings guarantee: "If the building fails to meet those energy savings, we write a check for the amount of the shortfall."

Bidders and contract strategy: Millig described an intensive preconstruction process with bid walks and targeted packages. Harris Mechanical was the apparent low bidder for the mechanical scope; other firms that bid included JRT, JH Kelly and Harris Mechanical. Electrical bids came from ADK (Vancouver), Core Electric (Longview), Hammer Electric (Longview) and JH Kelly's electrical group; Millig said Core Electric offered competitive pricing for larger mechanical-panel assembly work. Millig also said it specified a nonproprietary control platform (Niagara) so local firms can service the system in the future.

Other technical and schedule notes: Millig said the building's ceiling tiles are nonasbestos and that asbestos is primarily limited to pipe insulation in a three-story chase; the contractor proposed cleaning and replacing ceiling tile and repainting the T-grid, with a potential upgrade to fully replace the grid if the board chooses to add that scope. Millig recommended pushing construction start to October to capture subcontractor availability outside the peak season; the earliest construction phase would be electrical panel work, with lead times for fabricated panels reported at roughly 16 weeks. Millig requested a funding authorization so DES can draft contracts; Millig said bids are valid for 45 days and that ordering long-lead items promptly will lock pricing before tariff or material escalations.

Commissioners and staff asked clarifying questions about baseline maintenance and energy assumptions, the extent of asbestos removal, whether the pneumatic controls will be removed (Millig: pneumatic controls will be eliminated and replaced with electronic controls), warranty and post-construction support (Millig: 12-month workmanship warranty plus manufacturers' warranties and seasonal commissioning), and whether the control system would be proprietary (Millig: nonproprietary). Savannah Clement, deputy director of public services, and Millig staff described collaboration with building occupants and risk staff and said they will provide the full construction proposal to DES and the board before the funding authorization request.

Next steps: Millig said it will deliver the construction proposal to DES about the end of the week or the beginning of next week; DES will review and the county will then be asked to approve a funding authorization so DES can draft the contract documents. Millig and county staff said they are targeting the board meeting on May 16 for funding authorization and urged the board to approve the base scope soon to lock pricing on long-lead items.