Kootenai County commissioners hear buildings and grounds update; Justice Building HVAC to shut down Oct. 6

Kootenai County commissioners Eberlein and Metari heard a buildings and grounds briefing Sept. 30 from Director Jeff Fuller that included a schedule to shut down the Justice Building HVAC beginning Oct. 6 to install a delivered air handler, work on a jail holding‑pod project, completion of exterior ADA concrete, and newly identified foundation and water issues in the old courthouse basement.

Fuller said the delivered air handler is large and will be disassembled and reassembled inside the mechanical room; contractors will shut down the existing HVAC so the replacement work can proceed. “We will shut down the existing HVAC system in that building so that we can remove the old 1, bring the new 1 in. I will be sending out some impact notices to staff…we'll be down without [an] HVAC system in that building for probably 2 weeks,” Fuller said.

The timing matters because the work is scheduled for an off‑peak “shoulder” period between heating and cooling demand. Fuller said a crane will later set a new rooftop unit and a chiller sited at a corner of the building.

Why it matters: the Justice Building shutdown will affect staff comfort and building operations; commissioners emphasized they should be kept informed of facility moves and long‑term planning for county properties. Fuller briefed the board on related items that could affect operations or budgets: a higher-than-expected bid from Apollo for the jail HVAC, exploration of lower‑cost alternative equipment with an estimated savings of about $100,000 pending final engineering; minor change orders on the jail pod project (including a roughly $3,000 shower components change and small roof penetrations); and remaining county punchlist items for the new Justice Building such as signage, ADA front‑door signage and a delayed egress connection at a north stair tower.

Fuller also reported the jail pod work is progressing: rec yard block walls are complete, level‑1 holding cells (prefab metal) are assembled, the second‑floor deck and slab are in place and second‑floor holding cells are being installed. He said contingencies for that project “are still very healthy.”

On the new Justice Building’s remaining county items, Fuller said staff have requested peepholes for courtroom entrances and a privacy lock for one men’s staff restroom. He also noted attorney–client speak‑throughs in the holding cell areas are difficult to hear and that staff are exploring alternative speak‑through solutions.

The board discussed use of county spaces and past decisions by a facilities working group. Commissioners asked that any future transitions of county staff into or out of buildings be brought to the board for discussion. Fuller acknowledged some prior facility moves occurred before his tenure but agreed to bring future transitions to the board for public discussion and recommended considering short‑ and long‑term master planning.

Fuller raised two facility maintenance items that drew further attention. Grant (buildings staff) installed a camera on the old courthouse west side that has its view partially obstructed by two declining memorial trees (plaques dated 1994). Fuller proposed trimming dead branches and noted the trees appear to be failing and may need long‑term replacement; he asked commissioners to observe the trees and the memorial plaques before any removal discussion.

He also said crews discovered sprinkler and water intrusion issues in the old courthouse basement during a cleanup. A broken sprinkler head and damp carpet raised concern about foundation cracks and localized mold on drywall fastened to concrete. Fuller said a foundation specialist appointment was missed that morning and he would reschedule inspections and return to the board with options. “It appears to me that we’re having some foundation problems on that building. I don’t know the extent yet, but I’m just kinda bringing that up there so that you guys are aware,” Fuller said.

Fuller recommended consolidating office cubicles currently stored offsite (at a rented storage unit) into an on‑site court hold area to avoid ongoing storage rental costs while long‑term courthouse plans are developed.

Ending: Commissioners directed staff to keep the board informed about facility transitions and said foundation and mold issues in the old courthouse are a high priority. Fuller said he will provide a near‑final budget summary for the Justice Building within roughly two weeks once federal wage reporting and allowance reconciliations are complete.