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Finance committee forwards sheriff’s HVAC replacement bid to county board, asks sheriff to seek additional bid
Summary
The finance committee forwarded a Jamar Company proposal to replace aging HVAC systems at the sheriff’s administration and jail facilities to the full county board, and asked the sheriff’s office to request a second bid before the board meeting.
The Ashland County Finance Committee voted to forward a Jamar Company proposal to replace the sheriff’s office and jail HVAC systems to the full county board with a request that the sheriff seek a second bid before the board meeting.
Sheriff Brian Zuckke told the committee the current system is about 30 years old and has required recurring repairs; recent repair costs exceeded $14,000. Jamar recommended a phased replacement and said long‑lead parts will take time to procure. Sheriff Zuckke said a down payment of $100,000 would be needed to order parts so installation can begin on the contractor’s timetable: “They need at least a down payment of a hundred thousand just so we can start the project,” he said.
Jamar provided a detailed estimate and lifecycle analysis; the contractor also estimated annual energy savings if the county installs new equipment — about $4,200 in electrical savings and $8,700 in natural‑gas savings per year for the proposed design.
Committee members acknowledged the long service relationship with Jamar and the specialized nature of the work, but several members sought additional competitive bidding or documentation that other contractors are unable to provide bids. The committee adopted a motion to forward the Jamar proposal to the county board for approval and simultaneously asked the sheriff’s office to attempt to secure at least one additional bid, or a written statement from other local contractors explaining why they could not bid.
County staff noted available funding options: $256,000 of debt levy funds considered eligible for capital expenses are currently unspent; the committee was told the county would need to identify roughly $480,000 more to cover the full project cost and that Jamar offered to order long‑lead materials and carry them into the next fiscal year to ease immediate cash demands.
The committee will place the Jamar proposal and its recommendation on the county board agenda for the board’s decision.
