Building services reports urgent chiller plumbing failure at Prosper Hoyt; repair could exceed $100,000

Kenny Schmidt, Woodbury County building services director, told the Board of Supervisors the Prosper Hoyt facility is again experiencing a leak in a subsurface cast-iron well line and that the county needs an emergency repair to restore sufficient water pressure for the building chiller.

"We're going to have to dig that well line up and totally replace it," Schmidt said. He said the chiller runs 15–20 minutes then trips off for lack of water flow; contractors will be solicited for quotes and two firms will be on site the following morning. "I have no idea really what this will cost just off the top of my head. I'm guessing it could be in the range of $125,000 or so," Schmidt said.

Schmidt also updated the board on the planned deconstruction of the county's old jail: remediation steps required by the state Department of Natural Resources — including capping monitoring wells, discontinuing site monitoring, removing an underground diesel tank and completing asbestos abatement — are nearly complete. Once asbestos abatement is finished in the coming weeks, county staff said they will be able to advertise the demolition contract for competitive bid.

Why it matters: a major mechanical failure at a county facility interrupts service and may require a large, unbudgeted capital repair; the board was briefed and county staff will seek contractor quotes and return with cost information.

No formal board vote was taken on the repair during the meeting; staff said they will obtain quotes and return to the board as necessary.