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Facilities director outlines Franklin Street renovation, HVAC options and storage plans; commissioners direct RFP
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Summary
County facilities staff updated commissioners on a planned Franklin Street renovation, an HVAC replacement with cost estimates and RFP plans, a proposed storage building, and several courthouse office and plumbing upgrades; commissioners directed staff to prepare an RFP for HVAC work.
During a facilities briefing at a Penobscot County commissioners meeting, the county’s facilities presenter reviewed plans for renovating the Franklin Street building, detailed competing HVAC proposals, described options for a storage structure behind the courthouse, and outlined requested changes to the commissioners’ chambers and courthouse plumbing.
The facilities presenter (identified in the transcript as “Mr. McDonald”) said the Franklin Street drawings have been revised after consultation with the sheriff’s office and that the county intends to publish a request for proposals (RFP) “in a matter of days.” He described the planned renovation as office space rather than a secure sheriff’s operation: “What we're gonna build is basically office space. There's no armory, there's no ammo vault,” he said.
On HVAC, Mr. McDonald summarized two approaches. Mechanical Services — the county’s long-standing vendor — provided a revision that would replace much of the building’s pneumatic controls, install new equipment and variable-air-volume boxes, and give individual offices thermostat control. He reported a price of about $1,400,000 for that scope. An outside consultant, Energy Efficiency Incorporated (EEI), offered several “outside-the-box” options that Mr. McDonald said fell in the $3 million to $5 million range and that EEI indicated it could help find funding for about half of those costs.
Commissioners discussed procurement strategy and agreed to proceed to an RFP to solicit competing bids and test the market. One commissioner noted the benefit of Mechanical Services’ institutional knowledge of the building but supported circulating a general RFP to see what firms propose. The commissioners’ direction was to develop and release an RFP so the county can compare bids and evaluate budget alignment.
Mr. McDonald also reported on options for a storage building behind the facility. He said he contacted the City of Bangor building/code office and that setbacks would likely be 10 feet on the sides and 30 feet in the rear, and that planning-board review would be required for a permanent building. He gave a contractor price he had received: a 24-by-40 foot concrete foundation and framed garage (without garage doors) from contractor Guy Bouchard at about $110,000. The board previously allocated $200,000 for that project; Mr. McDonald said containerized storage (Connex boxes) under a covered roof remained an alternative that could avoid the full permitting requirements of a permanent structure.
On courthouse interior work, Mr. McDonald described requests tied to the probate court and commissioners’ chamber. He said a probate official (identified as “Hillary” in the transcript) asked for the removal or modification of a wall and for a second witness box on the opposite side of the judge’s bench to mirror the existing one. He presented options for floor coverings (carpet tiles or vinyl plank) and noted electrical capacity questions if the county converts the space into multiple cubicles.
Mr. McDonald raised safety and operational plumbing issues in a “change-up” room used by detention staff. He recommended replacing fragile porcelain sinks and toilets with stainless-steel fixtures because broken porcelain can produce sharp fragments; he estimated the cost of replacing the faucet and fixtures but said he did not have final vendor pricing at the meeting. He also reported concerns about the temperature of the jail’s hot-water system; he said a storage tank previously read around 25 degrees (he described that as too low), that tank temperature ideally should be higher to avoid bacterial growth, and that installing a mixing station in the boiler room could reduce the water delivered to occupied areas to about 120 degrees. Mr. McDonald said he had asked the plumber for pricing and expected to return with numbers. He also reported that recently introduced higher-temperature water had burned electronic solenoid valves used in the jail, and he recommended keeping a small stock of replacement solenoids on hand until the hot-water issue is resolved.
No formal votes were recorded in the facilities discussion excerpt; the commissioners instructed staff to prepare an RFP for HVAC work, requested additional pricing for plumbing/mixing station work and fixture replacements, and asked staff to provide drawings and conceptual visuals to support procurement and permitting for the storage building.
