Board approves $5,952 mini‑split for courthouse phone/locker room to prevent equipment shutdowns

The Webster County Board of Supervisors approved the low bid from Mueller for $5,952 to install a mini‑split cooling unit in the courthouse phone/locker room, an area staff said has overheated intermittently and caused communications equipment to shut down.

A county staff member described the space (referred to as the sally port/phone area) and told supervisors that on several occasions the room has gotten hot enough that phones and related systems shut down, disrupting work. "...the building gets hot enough that those all shut down, so we're losing work hours with the loss of those phones," the staff member said, describing the need for cooling where only heating had been installed previously.

Supervisors approved the purchase and installation; during discussion one supervisor estimated a life expectancy of roughly "5 to 8 years" for the unit. The item was approved by voice vote.

County staff said the mini‑split would reduce equipment interruptions and improve reliability in the communications space.