Cheshire County authorizes nursing‑home administrator to sign Stanley Elevator contract after new drilling risk identified

Cheshire County commissioners on Sept. 18 authorized the nursing‑home administrator to sign contracts with Stanley Elevator to replace a failed jack assembly in the county nursing‑home passenger elevator, after staff warned of a small but material risk that subcontractor drilling could be needed and increase costs.

Catherine, the presenter, said Stanley had determined a half‑inch bow in the cylinder constituted a catastrophic failure and that a replacement jack assembly would require a 2–3 month lead time and about 2–4 weeks to install. She told commissioners there is a roughly 2–5% chance that contractors will need to drill down through shaft material, at approximately $1,000 per linear foot; the elevator shaft is about 53 feet deep.

“I think the way it calculates out is that there’s a $130,000 appropriation,” Catherine said, noting a known base cost near $99,000 and potential excess work in the low‑to‑mid tens of thousands. She said staff identified rollover capital projects that could cover worst‑case overruns so the county would not need an immediate supplemental appropriation.

Commissioner Anglin moved to direct the nursing‑home administrator to sign the necessary Stanley contracts and to utilize rollover funding if needed for costs above $130,000. The motion was seconded and approved by the commissioners present, allowing staff to order a custom jack assembly and begin the procurement process.

County staff said they will not sign open‑ended change orders; the authorization delegates the administrator authority to execute the parts of the contract needed to order the jack so work can proceed on the multi‑month timeline.

The action follows a camera inspection of the shaft that showed metal shavings and scoring along the cylinder, evidence staff cited as the basis for classifying the cylinder as permanently bowed and in need of replacement. Commissioners asked that staff report back if the drilling contingency is required and to use the identified rollover funds before returning for new appropriations.

The county did not disclose a final not‑to‑exceed dollar that would apply if unusual conditions are found during any drilling; staff emphasized the drilling scenario is uncommon but could not be fully excluded until the shaft is opened.