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Commissioners seek more detail on Johnson Controls proposal to update courthouse HVAC controls
Summary
The Chase County Commissioners discussed a proposal from Johnson Controls to update building controls. Commissioners asked staff for more information about full-system replacement costs, risk of obsolescence, and whether phased work could leave the county back in the same position after a few years.
Chase County commissioners debated whether to move forward with a Johnson Controls proposal to update the courthouse heating, ventilation and air conditioning controls during their Feb. 10 meeting.
A county official said the quoted work would replace the control system that communicates with boilers and unit motors; the presentation noted some existing functionality is “getting antiquated” and could continue to degrade. Commissioners asked whether the proposal involves only control upgrades or replacement of the entire system.
Why it matters: The courthouse’s building controls affect climate control across a large, public county facility. Commissioners emphasized the need to know whether a partial control upgrade would leave the county facing another replacement decision within a few years, versus the larger expense of a full system replacement.
During discussion, a commissioner summarized questions for staff: what would it cost to update the whole system; is the county at risk of losing heat in the near term; and which specific zones are problem areas. One commissioner asked whether problem areas could be addressed temporarily with space heaters while the board investigates a longer-term option.
Commissioners asked staff to obtain additional, comparative estimates and more detail from Tony (county shop) and others about which components are at risk and whether alternatives to a full replacement exist. A county official said Johnson Controls has a phased plan that keeps existing units and updates controls in stages; commissioners said they wanted a cost estimate for full replacement for benchmarking.
Ending: Commissioners requested staff to collect more information and competitive estimates, and to identify the most vulnerable zones in the building so the board can make an informed choice at a future meeting.
