Trane warns Carbon County jail HVAC units have failed lifespan; board refers replacement plan to commissioners

Maria DiStefano, an account manager with Trane, told the Carbon County Prison Board that the correctional facility’s rooftop heating, ventilation and air‑conditioning units have largely passed the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air‑Conditioning Engineers’ recommended 15‑year life span and are increasingly costly to keep running. “The infrastructure has reached a critical turning point,” DiStefano said, noting repeated failures and mounting repair bills.

DiStefano said five of the rooftop units still use R‑22 refrigerant, which ceased manufacture in January 2020, and that market prices and limited supply make emergency repairs unpredictable. She provided a $30,000 quote to replace the heat exchanger on Rooftop Unit 6 and said Trane’s records show the county has spent about $150,000 on Trane service and emergency repairs over the past five years.

The Trane presentation emphasized two paths: a full system replacement with bundled savings and warranty coverage or staged replacements after an initial project development agreement to establish engineering drawings and a building‑automation platform. DiStefano described the project development agreement as an engineering study that would define phases, give scheduling details and produce final costs; she estimated the study could cost roughly $30,000–$60,000 depending on scope and said that fee could be wrapped into the overall project if Trane is hired for installation.

Board members pressed on procurement and technical integration. Several members asked whether controls must be replaced across all units at once; DiStefano said newer rooftop units require VAV box retrofits and an upgraded building automation system that would be established with the first replacement, and that subsequent units could be integrated in stages. The vendor also described cooperative procurement options such as OMNIA and contrasted those with the county’s CoStars service contracts, saying OMNIA is often used for larger, audited projects.

After discussion about bid specifications, competitive fairness and long‑term costs if multiple contractors are used across staged procurements, the board voted to refer a recommendation—acknowledging the need to replace the heating units and asking the Board of Commissioners to determine whether to bid the work or develop a replacement/repair plan that is most cost‑effective—to the County Commissioners. The motion was moved by Mike and seconded by Zego and carried on a voice vote.

What happens next: the county will receive further information from Trane on procurement options and a sample project development agreement; the Commission will decide whether to proceed with a professional services agreement, cooperative procurement, or open bid process, and the prison board asked to receive updates on progress.

Clarifying details: Trane reported a $30,000 quote to replace the heat exchanger on Rooftop Unit 6; rental contingency cost cited as about $7,000 initial and roughly $4,500 per month; Trane said the county spent nearly $150,000 in service and emergency repairs with Trane over the past five years; project development agreement estimated at $30,000–$60,000 (scope dependent).