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Guadalupe County weighs courthouse HVAC replacement; staff consider stocking parts to extend system life
Summary
Commissioners asked whether the courthouse HVAC system should be replaced in the coming budget year or whether the county should buy critical long-lead parts now to extend the existing system; preliminary estimates discussed ranged from $1.5–$2.7 million depending on system choice.
A commissioner asked at the June 17 workshop whether a full HVAC replacement for the courthouse should be included in the 2025–26 budget or whether buying critical parts now would be a preferable short-term approach to avoid an immediate multimillion-dollar project.
Maintenance staff said a full changeout to a variable-refrigerant-flow (VRF) or chiller-based system had preliminary cost estimates in the $1.5 million to $2 million range, and a quoted figure relayed to the court put a possible replacement near $2,700,000. “I think Ricky told me yesterday the quote or some of the projections were about $2,700,000 to replace what we have here,” the County Judge said when relaying maintenance feedback.
Given the age of existing systems and difficulty sourcing older parts, staff suggested budgeting for long-lead components or spares if the court is not ready to authorize a full multi‑million-dollar replacement. “If we're going to have to live on the systems that we have installed today ... should we budget for buying parts in advance for the things that we know absolutely have been failing so that we can extend our time before we have a multimillion dollar project?” a commissioner asked.
No final decision was made; the County Judge said he would continue discussions with maintenance to identify part availability and long-lead items and return with more information. Commissioners agreed additional information and quotes are needed before committing to a replacement or to a parts-buying strategy in the adopted budget.
