Cowlitz County moves forward on Hall of Justice HVAC, electrical modernization

Lauren, a project presenter from Millig Design Build, told the Cowlitz County Board of Commissioners the Hall of Justice (HoJ) needs an extensive HVAC and electrical modernization to address high operating costs, failing equipment and safety risks.

The county’s contractors said the building spends “over $200,000 a year just to pay for electricity alone,” and that the facility still carries original 1973 pneumatic controls with a Siemens digital overlay that is now obsolete. Millig described a single 50‑year‑old air handler that serves most occupied space and a 1.2‑megawatt electric resistance boiler as major single points of failure. Lauren also identified recalled Federal Pacific panels across the building as a fire risk and said about 40 panels will need replacement during the project.

The presentation explained why the county chose a design‑build delivery: Millig will hold one contract with the county, deliver design and construction, run open‑book accounting and propose a guaranteed maximum price after subcontractor bidding. Lauren said the project has gone through a scoping and design‑development phase and is “right at the cusp” of…