Black Hawk County outlines $million-scale facilities projects, seeks courthouse security changes

Black Hawk County Facilities Director Rory (last name not specified) presented a wide-ranging capital request and facilities update during the board’s Jan. 28 budget work session, asking supervisors to consider projects that include structural repairs to the newly acquired Sycamore shop, repair and code updates to a Pinecrest elevator, a proposed solar array for a planned Veterans Affairs center, IT office relocation and a possible courthouse interior renovation, plus a proposal to change courthouse security staffing.

Rory told the board the Sycamore shop — a former towing facility the county bought for just over $300,000 — needs a near-complete electrical and mechanical overhaul to meet code, plus new overhead doors, masonry repairs and a sprinkler system if heavy equipment (vehicles over 10,000 pounds) will be stored there. “The electrical in that building is an absolute mess,” Rory said, adding the county had received contractor proposals that align with a prior $300,000 estimate.

He described a Pinecrest hydraulic elevator that has been out of service since about 2020 and estimated repairs to bring it up to current code at $52,500; the repair would also support relocation of Health & Human Services functions to the second floor. Rory said the county faces a choice to either repair the elevator or decommission it (decommissioning would still cost roughly $5,000).

Rory also outlined a 68 kW solar array option for the new VA center. Based on MidAmerican Energy’s review of planned facility equipment, he expected a 13.8-year payback and estimated the project at roughly $200,000 without the federal investment tax-credit figure he noted could lower the cost by about $52,632 if available. He said the array would be sited inside an extension of existing fenced areas and included a $14,000 fence allowance in the estimate.

On courthouse projects, Rory proposed relocating the IT department into space that would wrap around the new server room (he estimated that relocation at about $455,000), then redesigning the current IT/board office area into an improved public-facing board office and reception area (he offered a planning-level estimate of about $900,000 for that second phase, noting $100,000 for design is already budgeted). He emphasized daylighting and energy efficiency in the concept design.

Rory recommended improving courthouse security by replacing the contracted security provider with two deputies assigned specifically to the courthouse plus a third deputy for staggered coverage; he and the sheriff discussed the option and Rory said the sheriff indicated the department could commit deputies to courthouse security if the board chose to shift resources. Rory framed that change as a safety and reliability improvement; he also said parking-lot enforcement could be handled separately through a vendor proposal being developed.

The facilities director presented many ancillary capital items — ADA-compliant service counters for several departments ($275,000 for multiple counters), corian countertop replacements for jail locker rooms ($12,000), localized concrete repairs, drainage fixes at consolidated communications, exterior cameras, and replacement of aging fleet vehicles and snow-removal equipment.

Ending: Rory asked supervisors to consider the suite of capital requests as part of the broader budget conversation and offered to arrange site visits to the Sycamore shop and existing solar installations.

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