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LaSalle County board reviews courthouse upgrades, HVAC repairs and generator plans; several procedural motions pass
Summary
At its Nov. 14 meeting the LaSalle County Board approved routine motions and reviewed several facilities items: treasurer-office relocation with a Jan. 5 start and May 1 completion target, courtroom upgrade bids, a damaged fire hydrant quote (~$9,000), and refrigerant-line repair quotes (~$8,000).
The LaSalle County Board met Nov. 14 in Room 250 and held several votes on routine business while hearing updates about courthouse and facilities work.
Board action and context: The board approved the previous month’s minutes (motion by Gary; second by Tom) and carried a motion related to courthouse, jail buildings and grounds work after a brief procedural vote. Chair called for and carried a motion to adjourn at the end of the meeting.
Why it matters: County staff described a series of maintenance and capital items that could affect scheduling and budgets over the coming months. Kurt Traeger, reporting on building projects, said the treasurer’s office will move clerical staff to a temporary lower-level space in December and that construction is scheduled to begin Jan. 5. “They have to be done by May 1,” Traeger said, noting May 1 is a firm deadline because staff must be back in place to prepare taxes at the end of that month.
Courtroom and exterior work: Traeger said upgrades to two fourth-floor courtrooms are out to bid; he told the board bids will be submitted and opened later in the month and that staff hope to present a formal recommendation at the Dec. 8 board meeting. On an exterior flashing project, Traeger said early estimates indicate a possible credit of about $11,000 back to the county pending final work: “we were thinking we would still get a credit back of about $11,000,” he said.
HVAC and safety concerns: Wesley, a facilities staff member, reported that the downtown courthouse rooftop chiller was drained and cleaned and that boilers are now operating. While replacing a compressor and chiller, contractors discovered refrigerant-line leakage; Wesley said he received a repair quote around $8,000 but will seek another proposal because the price “just seems high.” He also reported a fire hydrant in front of the service clerk’s office failed inspection and that a replacement proposal is about $9,000, emphasizing most of the cost is the hydrant itself rather than labor.
Operations and next steps: Wesley said the county is evaluating consolidating elevator maintenance contracts to streamline service and is testing a cloud-based work-order system to improve tracking and accountability (he estimated roughly $100 per month). On the generator question raised by the chair, Don said an application for a zoning permit will be submitted and the county will proceed from there.
The board did not take final procurement actions on the larger upgrades at the meeting; staff said they will return with bids, formal recommendations and any follow-ups at upcoming meetings.
