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Commissioners approve $711,684 replacement of courthouse chiller
Summary
The Richland County Board of Commissioners approved a $711,684 project to replace the courthouse rooftop chiller with a new dual‑feed 215‑ton unit; bids are due May 14 and the unit has a roughly 22‑week lead time, with a planned completion window to avoid summer outages.
The Richland County Board of Commissioners voted to approve the courthouse chiller replacement project as presented on April 16. The project will demolish the existing rooftop air‑cooled chiller and evaporator and install a new, dual‑feed 215‑ton cooling unit with associated structural, mechanical, electrical and plumbing work.
The county’s presenter said the dual‑feed design provides two arrays of compressors, each with its own electrical feed and independent controls so that if one array is taken offline for service the other can maintain about 60% of building cooling capacity. The presenter said the long lead time for the custom dual‑feed unit is roughly 22 weeks; the current estimated construction budget was given as $711,684. Bids will be received Thursday, May 14, with a pre‑bid conference scheduled for April 30.
The board discussed serviceability and redundancy: commissioners and staff noted prior challenges when the old unit failed and a temporary portable unit was used, and emphasized that a unit that local contractors can service is preferable to one requiring specialized out‑of‑country technicians. One commissioner asked about the age of the existing unit; the presenter estimated it at about 12 years and said typical life expectancy ranges from 15 to 25 years depending on maintenance.
A motion to approve the project was made and seconded; the clerk called the roll and recorded affirmative votes (recorded names in the roll call included Ramirez, Commissioner Banks and Mister Vero). The board thanked the presenter and moved on to subsequent agenda items.
The county will post bid documents on the county blueprint and Builders Exchange websites; the pre‑bid site visit is April 30. The presenter said the schedule was intentionally planned to achieve substantial completion outside the hottest months to avoid prolonged outages while the old chiller is removed and the new unit installed.
