Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Facility Maintenance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Cobb County ratifies $1.7 million emergency chiller replacement at adult detention center
Summary
The Board of Commissioners unanimously ratified emergency procurement and a General Fund appropriation to replace an aging HVAC chiller at the Cobb County Adult Detention Center, after discussion about deferred maintenance, budget responsibility and interim cooling plans.
The Cobb County Board of Commissioners on June 10 ratified emergency procurement and a General Fund appropriation to replace an HVAC chiller at the county’s adult detention center, authorizing payment of $1,708,043 to MaxAir Mechanical LLC and a funding balance appropriation of $1,745,420.
The action, described in the agenda as ratifying prior authorization by the county manager, passed on a 4-0 vote with the chair absent. County staff said the replacement is an emergency because the existing chiller is near failure and supports air handling for the facility infirmary.
Commissioners and staff framed the vote as a response to deferred maintenance. A facilities representative told the board a temporary chiller is on standby and would be connected if the existing unit failed before the replacement arrives. “We have a temporary chiller on standby. And as soon as we get an exact date of the delivery of the chiller, we will bring the temporary chiller here and connect it and be ready to go with the replacement,” the facilities representative said.
Staff said the replacement chiller was expected to be delivered in about 22 weeks, with the vendor’s short-term rental and installation arrangements included in the cost. County staff also said the chillers currently in place were installed in 1987 and that the typical useful life for such equipment is roughly 25 years.
The discussion repeatedly returned to budgetary responsibility. Some commissioners and members of the public asked why the purchase was coming from the general fund rather than a capital account or from the sheriff’s operating budget. Board members noted the expense had been discussed in previous budget cycles but not funded; staff said the work had been deferred when funding was not available.
The item’s agenda language asked the board to ratify emergency procurement, authorize payment to MaxAir Mechanical LLC for $1,708,043, and authorize the county manager, procurement director and/or the sheriff to execute documents necessary to complete the work. The motion carried 4-0.
Board members also questioned the number of sheriff’s office staff who attended the meeting to support the request; a sheriff’s office representative responded the department brought multiple staff because of the item’s operational importance and the prospect of liability if the infirmary lost cooling.
The board approved the appropriation and contract authorization after the discussion. The county manager and facilities staff will oversee procurement and installation; staff said follow-up work will be coordinated through property management and facilities.
