Commission approves bid solicitation to replace two Judicial Center boilers; backup generator flagged for follow-up

The Crawford County Commission authorized county staff to advertise and solicit bids for the removal and replacement of two boilers at the Judicial Center and discussed a separate need to replace a backup generator. County maintenance lead Aaron Crozier and county staff told commissioners the judicial-center boilers are aging and one unit is inoperable; commissioners approved sending the request for bids. County staff moved up the bid timeline so proposals would be due Oct. 2 and opened Oct. 3 to allow contractors time to complete work before heating season. Crozier described the existing system as older, gravity boilers and said the jail has two 1997-model boilers that could be used as a temporary spare if needed. Why it matters: The boilers provide heat to the Judicial Center; the county emphasized timing to complete the work before cold weather. The board voted to authorize bid solicitation. Commissioners discussed funding only at a high level; staff said they will proceed with bidding and then identify funding sources, noting “we'll find the money” after bids are received. Commissioner (name not given) asked that staff identify where funds will come from before contract award but permitted the bidding to proceed so the work can be scheduled in what commissioners described as an urgent maintenance window. On a separate maintenance matter, commissioners said the county needs to replace a backup generator at the Judicial Center and asked staff to bring a detailed recommendation and cost estimate back to a future meeting. No procurement action on the generator was taken at this meeting. The commission recorded a motion to advertise the boiler removal and replacement; the motion carried and staff were authorized to proceed with the formal bid process.