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County flags leaking roof, failed cooling tower and $141,800 generator in capital requests; adds $25,000 public-safety feasibility study
Summary
County staff told the advisory committee three deferred facilities projects (a flat roof section, cooling tower replacement and a new generator) have become urgent; the county also added a $25,000 feasibility study for a public safety building and a $250,000 estimate to digitize records.
Sagadahoc County officials presented several capital requests to the budget advisory committee, highlighting an aging flat roof, a failed cooling tower used for summer cooling, and a proposed $141,800 replacement generator. Staff said the county has partial reserves for the generator but would still face a six-figure gap if the county pays the full cost without outside grant funding.
The county described the flat roof over a 1986 portion of the courthouse as actively leaking and said delays in repair will make future fixes more expensive. Facilities staff also said the cooling tower failed during last year’s summer and county staff rigged a temporary cooling arrangement that drove up water costs; staff said that workaround is not sustainable.
Staff reported the generator estimated cost as $141,800 and that roughly $35,250 exists in reserves but about $110,000 remains unfunded. The county has applied for FEMA-related grant funding for the generator but does not expect an award decision for about nine months. Staff also discussed possible use of ARPA funds in prior years but said those funds were not available for the current generator request.
Beyond immediate facilities maintenance, staff added a $25,000 capital line for a public-safety building feasibility study. The study would define space needs for the sheriff’s department, emergency management (EMA) and communications, and could inform future siting, sizing and cost estimates. Staff said the feasibility line was modest and likely to be denied, but they wanted the request recorded in the budget packet for awareness.
Another capital item raised was a records-digitization project: a vendor estimate provided to staff last year put full-digitization costs at about $250,000, and staff suggested a phased approach to spread costs over multiple years. Committee members also discussed the county’s towers project and noted interest from a cell carrier; staff identified tower-leasing as a potential new revenue stream.
On procurement policy, staff told the committee the county does not automatically require three bids above a fixed dollar threshold, but purchases over $5,000 generally involve RFPs or multiple quotes and expenditures over $2,500 require prior permission. Committee members suggested reviewing a policy that would require multiple bids for large capital projects.
Committee members also discussed decommissioning a facilities truck and transitioning winter plowing to a private contractor to save costs; staff said they plan to decommission the vehicle and provide a small vehicle stipend to the facilities director in lieu of a county truck.
No capital appropriation was approved at the meeting; staff said many requests are subject to grant awards and further committee review.
