Cowlitz County plans major Hall of Justice HVAC and electrical overhaul; bidding set for February

Lauren (Milig Design Build), accompanied by Savannah Clement of Cowlitz County Public Services, presented a high-level overview of a planned comprehensive HVAC and electrical upgrade at the Cowlitz County Hall of Justice (HoJ). The county entered a design contract with Millig through the Washington Department of Enterprise Services, and the team is completing design work and preparing to bid the project in early February.

The project is intended to replace aging mechanical systems, obsolete controls and recalled electrical equipment while improving occupant comfort and reducing operating costs. “It costs over $200,000 a year just to pay for electricity in [that] building,” Lauren said, summarizing the project’s drivers. She described the building’s existing systems as a mix of original pneumatic controls from the 1973 construction, a 50-year-old 1.2-megawatt electric resistance boiler and a single, 50-year-old primary air-handler fan that currently serves most occupied space and is a “single point of failure.”

Why it matters: the Hall of Justice houses courtrooms, the sheriff’s department and other critical services; construction must avoid disrupting court operations and protect sensitive systems such as IT and evidence storage. Lauren said user engagement has been substantial: Millig’s team has logged roughly 2,000 hours on design and implementation planning and more than 100 hours in direct meetings with county user groups, and has met…