Woodbury County supervisors approve $360,000 to begin courthouse freight-elevator replacement

The Woodbury County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to allocate funding to begin replacement of the courthouse freight elevator, approving $300,000 from unallocated Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) funds and $60,000 from general basic reserves.

Kenny Smith of Building Services told the board the request covers initial costs for a replacement elevator and that additional work outside the elevator manufacturer's scope — chiefly mechanical and electrical work driven by code requirements — is likely to add cost. "One of the small things they noted right off the bat was, we need to change all your lighting on each floor level at the elevator exits," Smith said. "You can't have light switches. The lights have to be on all the time. It's a code violation." Smith said the figures are preliminary and that staff are working with CMBA Architects and elevator manufacturers to scope the work.

Smith described an expected timeline and warranty ranges: manufacturing and lead time of about six months after the county gives a green light, plus an installation period manufacturers estimate at roughly six weeks; initial warranties "probably a 1 or 3 year warranty depending on manufacturer," with extended warranties available. The board was also told the architect must draft specifications and the project must go through the county's competitive bid process, which Smith estimated will take about five weeks before the county authorizes manufacturing.

Supervisor Nelson moved to allocate $300,000 from unallocated CIP funds and $60,000 from general basic reserves to begin the project; Supervisor Dietrich seconded. The motion passed 5-0.

The board and staff discussed how to cover any costs beyond the $360,000 allocation. A staff member told the board there is currently "just a hair under $300,000 of unallocated CIP funds currently available," and suggested any additional overages be covered from the general basic reserve or next year's CIP if needed.

Next steps described by staff include finalizing specifications with the architect, issuing the competitive bid, selecting a manufacturer/contractor, and coordinating installation timing once manufacturing is complete. No specific contractor or ordinance number was reported at the meeting.

Funding details and the vote were taken during the meeting; the board's allocation authorizes the county to begin the procurement process but does not represent final contract award or completion of construction.