Cowlitz County proposes annex upfit for Office of Public Defense; board authorizes signature, staff weighs window and skylight replacements

Cowlitz County staff asked the Board of Commissioners for authority to sign a proposal to upfit the annex building's first floor for the Office of Public Defense and discussed additional building upgrades including window replacement and a broken skylight panel.

Commissioner Savannah Clement introduced the annex proposal and said the county has been working to move OPD into the annex to eliminate an existing lease (about $85,000 a year). "We anticipate spending approximately $165,000 getting that [first floor] ready to go and upfitted for OPD," Clement said. The first floor would encompass the compass area on the right and the former noxious weed area on the left, she said.

Clement asked for authority for the chairman to sign the annex proposal; commissioners gave head nods and verbal assent. "So, my request is for authority for chairman Dahl to be able to sign this proposal first," she said, and one commissioner replied, "Yeah. I'm good."

Staff raised an unanticipated security and energy issue: the first‑floor windows are original, single‑pane wood windows that staff say are easy to breach and leaky. Ian (project staff) described the windows as "50, 60 year old windows... single pane glass, with a latch on the inside." The county has a single vendor quote to replace first‑floor windows with storefront vinyl at approximately $68,000 (one quote on file); staff said a residential vinyl option was only modestly cheaper and that additional competitive quotes are needed.

Commissioners discussed pursuing utility rebates through the local public utility district (PUD) but staff warned that PUD commercial rebate rules may limit eligibility or frequency of rebates and that more investigation is needed.

Staff also raised a separate skylight issue above the lobby: one panel is shattered. Initial quotes were about $26,000 to replace the single panel and about $47,000 to replace all 15 panels. Staff plan to temporarily cover the skylight to assess daylight impacts before recommending replacement or closure during the upcoming roof procurement.

Commissioners expressed general support for investing in long‑term improvements to the annex, noting recent investments in the building's roof and HVAC. Staff said they will obtain additional bids, investigate PUD rebate eligibility, and return with refined cost options; the board authorized signature authority for the annex proposal on the record.