County approves $798,000 contract to replace sheriff’s department HVAC; initial payment from federal aid funds

The Ashland County Board voted July 22 to approve a contract with Jamar to replace the sheriff’s department heating, ventilation and air‑conditioning systems at an estimated cost of $798,000. County finance and facilities discussion said the current equipment dates to 1996 and is at end of life. Supervisor Kinney told the board the county began reviewing replacement options in February and received three bids before selecting Jamar. John Cottony, identified in the meeting as a Jamar representative, described the planned design: “The new design, it eliminates the refrigerant inside the building and puts it outside the building in a chilled water system,” he said. He added the project will replace antiquated boilers and building automation controllers and will create redundancy to avoid single‑point failures. Finance committee recommended using existing federal Local Aid for Tribes and Counties (LACTF/ARPA) funds to make an initial payment and to defer the remainder to the budget process. County staff said about $1.1 million remains in that LACTF fund after prior allocations and that using a portion now would keep the county’s unrestricted fund balance near the department’s target range. Supervisor Bill moved adoption of the contract and Laura seconded; the motion passed on a voice vote with no roll‑call tally recorded. After the contract vote, the board removed a separate bonding resolution for the HVAC project from the agenda because finance recommended the county first use existing cash and revisit borrowing if necessary. Why it matters: the jail’s HVAC serves critical building systems for safety and operations; updating the equipment replaces decades‑old components and is expected to improve energy efficiency and operational redundancy.