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Nueces County approves emergency HVAC fixes, directs ARPA funding for replacements
Summary
The Nueces County Commissioners Court approved a temporary HVAC contract with ProTech and authorized procurement and ARPA funding for replacement condenser units after staff described the work as an emergency.
Nueces County commissioners on July 18 approved an emergency temporary HVAC contract to cool county facilities and authorized procurement and American Rescue Plan Act funding to replace aging condenser units.
The county judge said staff recommended a temporary unit from ProTech to serve as a cooling center while permanent replacements are procured. Juan, a Public Works representative, told the court the temporary installation is already in place and that the mobilization cost is "about $77,100," with a monthly fee and demobilization costs discussed. He recommended proceeding with the ProTech buy-board contract.
The action matters because county facilities are operating during a period of extreme heat and the court treated the equipment failure as an emergency that required immediate remediation. Commissioners approved using a cooperative Buy Board procurement method for the permanent replacements and approved an ARPA funding source for the replacement work, which staff said would cost $114,176 for three units.
Public Works staff described the permanent project as a turnkey replacement of three condenser/condensing units (one 50-ton, one 25-ton and one 20-ton, as stated by staff). Juan said replacement lead time could run 10–12 weeks because one unit is a special order. The judge and commissioners emphasized speed and compliance with funding-eligibility checks performed with Hagerty, the county's emergency-management/insurance adviser.
"Yes, judge, commissioner. We recommend the, the temporary, or the proposal from ProTech," Juan said when asked whether staff recommended the ProTech quote. The judge confirmed the temporary unit had been operating since the previous Thursday and thanked staff for the quick work.
On the permanent work, the court voted to proceed via Buy Board procurement and to declare the project ARPA-eligible, authorizing use of ARPA funds for the $114,176 estimate. The judge said the auditor and outside advisers had reviewed eligibility earlier that morning.
The court recorded affirmative votes for the procurement method and the funding motion. Commissioners also noted the county judge had signed an emergency order earlier to allow Public Works to secure the temporary cooling unit while procurement for the permanent replacement was completed.
County staff and commissioners said they will ensure buy-board contract language aligns with FEMA/Hagerty requirements because of the rapid procurement schedule. No opposing votes were recorded in the audio of the meeting.
The court did not provide a line-item funding breakdown beyond the $114,176 estimate, and some per-line costs discussed during the meeting were described as "about" or "more or less." Staff said they would return to the court if further appropriation action was required.
Ending: County procurement and facilities staff will proceed with the cooperative procurement for the permanent replacements and will implement the temporary cooling solution already in place; commissioners set the matter to return for any additional approvals as needed.
