Franklin County Selects Vertical Design for Courthouse Electrical Upgrade

Franklin County supervisors voted to approve an engineering agreement with Vertical Design Services to handle design work for a courthouse electrical-service upgrade.

At the 9:30 a.m. agenda item, Speaker 2 described a selection process among multiple engineering firms and introduced firm recommendations. Speaker 8, who led the procurement discussion, said the county's review favored Vertical Design and provided a ballpark construction estimate of about $200,000 plus MidAmerican Electric Company charges. "Ballpark on this project, 200,000 plus what Mid America is gonna be in on that," Speaker 8 said.

Board members discussed the scope of the engineering team, noting Vertical Design would coordinate with a structural engineer and local secondary engineers to prepare bid postings and ensure compliance with Iowa code. Speaker 1 said the county needed help preparing bid postings and following procurement rules after earlier procedural errors on a separate project.

Speaker 2 moved to approve the design agreement with Vertical Design; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote. Staff said the board will receive contracts for the full work package, and Vertical Design will provide follow-up as the project advances.

The board described the upgrade as necessary to modernize the courthouse and help address intermittent computer and electrical issues in county facilities. Planning and contract finalization were left to staff and counsel as the next steps.