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Health department renovation nears finish; commissioners hear ventilation, code questions
Summary
County and contractor representatives said phase 2 drywall and painting are finishing, and crews will install flooring this week; a ventilation issue in an existing downstairs restroom was flagged to meet the 2024 code, but consultants advised proceeding with phase work and the county may separately pursue an HVAC upgrade.
Coffey County's health department renovation is in its final construction weeks: drywall in phase 2 is finished, painting is ongoing and flooring installation was scheduled for the coming week, the county heard Tuesday.
Amelie Marcher, health department administrator, briefed commissioners and said a meeting with BG Consultants clarified a code-related ventilation question for a lower-level restroom. The restroom did not previously exhaust outside; it recirculated air in the plenum and under the 2024 code would not meet current requirements. BG Consultants told staff the existing HVAC renovation completed in 2009 met the code in effect then and the contractor may proceed to finish the current project scope without submitting an acknowledgment of noncompliance. "BG Consultants stated that they can go ahead and proceed with finishing that out, and so we don't have to do, like, send the acknowledgment letter or anything like that," Marcher said.
Marcher told the board the contractor will route an exhaust for the health department restroom to the lower-level restroom as part of finishing the renovation. She said any broader update to make the entire building strictly compliant with the 2024 adopted code would be a county-level decision and would require additional engineering and bids. Staff have solicited estimates from mechanical subcontractors to give the county a cost picture if commissioners want to pursue a building-wide HVAC upgrade.
Marcher said phase 2 is running ahead of schedule and that a walk-through punch list could occur about two weeks from the briefing; she asked commissioners whether they would like consultations with BG Consultants on code implications. Commissioners asked standard follow-up questions and said they appreciated the update.
No formal county action was required at the meeting; staff will provide the punch-list schedule and, if commissioners direct, solicit quotes for an HVAC update.
