Fremont County commissioners announced that the county was awarded $695,912.50 from a state underfunded courthouse grant to replace aging rooftop units at the county courthouse.

The award, described by Commissioner Dwayne McFall, came from a state program that had $3,000,000 available this cycle. McFall said Fremont requested roughly $1.3 million for a full replacement and accepted an award of $695,912.50; county officials offered a 50% local match to strengthen the application. "We were willing to put in 50%," McFall said, adding that the rooftop units are "critical systems" for the building and the county’s operations.

Commissioners said the courthouse houses multiple critical services — including dispatch, 911 and court-related offices — and that failing HVAC systems would risk functionality during cold months. Grant-writing and facilities staff were credited for preparing the application; McFall named Rachel Miller, the county grant writer, and Randy Toler, facilities manager, for their roles in securing the award.

Commissioner Debbie Bell explained why the match mattered this year, saying that limited statewide funds meant those counties offering local matches were more likely to receive awards. "It showed, especially this year with the limited funds, those that did put in match were able to come home with more," Bell said.

County officials said work will proceed whether or not additional funding is secured and that awarding these systems was a high priority to avoid larger future costs. No formal board vote on acceptance of the grant was recorded in the episode; commissioners described the award and the next steps for contracting and installation.

The county did not provide a construction start date or an installation timeline in the recording.