Lee County maintenance staff outline courthouse LED upgrades, remodel plans and equipment fixes

Eric, a maintenance department staff member, told the Lee County Facilities and Maintenance Committee that crews are preparing for snow, finishing several repairs and moving forward on multiple building projects.

The report matters because the items discussed — LED lighting upgrades, HVAC testing changes, and interior remodels — affect building operating costs, occupant safety and projects the county may put out to bid.

Eric said crews are “gearing up for snow” and described recent equipment work, including hydraulic and oil maintenance on tractors and a rebuilt blower motor. He reported that county buildings now have working carbon-monoxide detectors at the Law Enforcement Center and that staff replaced 22 LED fixtures in the booking area. He also said the county is replacing fluorescent bulbs across the new courthouse and that, under a ComEd grant, the bulbs can be procured for about $1 each; he estimated there are roughly 2,000 bulbs in that building. “As soon as we get the numbers, we’ll throw them at you and see what direction we want to go,” Eric said.

On HVAC, Eric described a January sprinkler inspection that temporarily triggered the alarm and shut RTUs (roof-top units) off for about an hour. To avoid repeating that disruption during future system tests, maintenance plans to install a keyed bypass switch in the alarm system so RTUs remain functional during testing. He said the bypass key will be limited to a few staff and will be used only during testing.

Eric reported a blower motor bearing failure that required dispatching a contractor, Hartwig; county staff rebuilt an old motor to keep a spare on hand. He also said the sheriff’s department has a new air-purification unit for the evidence room and maintenance ran a new circuit and outlet for the machine.

On building finishes and fixtures, Eric said the county has begun replacing fixtures and bulbs in the new courthouse and plans to continue bulb replacement as a lower-cost, phased approach rather than replacing every fixture now. He noted that a fixture replacement would cost about $75 each, while the grant-assisted bulbs are far cheaper.

The committee discussed two interior remodel requests: a small remodel for the probation office immediately behind the public desk and a longer-range relocation and remodel for Human Resources. Eric said the probation remodel would mainly involve moving nonstructural walls to create a small break or kitchen-style area for staff, not a public cafeteria, and that the work could likely be done in-house except for items such as relocating a fire alarm horn. Committee members asked for budget numbers. The chair directed staff to provide final budget estimates for the probation remodel and the HR room by the next committee meeting so members can review options and determine whether to do the work in-house or put it out to bid.

Other items in the report: two new handicap-accessible bollard push-button posts (balers) were ordered for the New Courts front entrance at a combined cost of $1,435; the county is identifying a permanent HR office location within the administrative offices (temporary placement likely on the third floor); the AV/sound system in the courtrooms (referred to as NOMAD) is complete; two new balers were ordered for front entrances; Procom panel work remains to be completed to ensure communications between building panels; and a new maintenance hire, Robert Mitchell, will start as a tech I next Tuesday.

On capital work outside buildings, staff said they expect bids or cost estimates from Willett and Hoffman for a retaining wall project this week or next. The intention is to have the project ready to release for bid by March, with staff holding off on contacting IDOT for partnership discussions until prints and cost estimates are available.

The committee had no unfinished-business votes on these items during the meeting. The chair also reminded members that work-order submissions for the HR and probation requests are in the queue and that staff will return budget numbers at the next meeting.

Less critical details discussed near the end of the report included truck signage (county logo to appear on maintenance trucks), a plan to label some apparel with “maintenance,” and a reminder that some steam cleaning did not remove ingrained grime from courthouse tiles and that muriatic acid testing is being considered cautiously because of glaze damage to tile.

The meeting record shows these directions and updates will return to the committee after staff provides the requested budget estimates and contractor numbers.