Wayne County to hire third-party HVAC evaluator after courthouse ventilation system repeatedly fails

Wayne County supervisors voted May 12 to hire an independent HVAC contractor to evaluate ongoing problems with the courthouse ventilation system and to begin discussions with the county attorney about possible legal action against the project’s general contractor, GTG Construction.

Supervisors described a DOAS (Dedicated Outdoor Air System) that has not functioned properly for roughly 18 months since project completion. County records in the meeting said multiple refrigerant leaks were discovered and that Mechanical Sales had been hired to remove refrigerant, repair leaks and recharge the system; the scope of work had been estimated at about four days but repairs have stretched toward two weeks without rendering the system fully operational.

Supervisor Lance Lange moved and Chair Chris Moore seconded a motion to engage a third-party HVAC contractor to evaluate and document the system issues and to start discussions with County Attorney Al Wilson about filing suit against GTG Construction. The motion was recorded as approved by all supervisors present.

Board members were explicit that the recent service by Mechanical Sales was not the board’s target, and described the problem as stemming from the original subcontractor and work approved by the project engineer. The board’s action directs staff to solicit an independent assessment, document defects, and pursue legal advice as a next step; the transcript shows the motion but does not record any formal filing of a lawsuit at this meeting.

Why it matters: a courthouse HVAC that does not deliver conditioned outdoor air as designed can affect building operations and occupant comfort; the board’s vote initiates both technical and legal follow-up to establish responsibility and remediation steps.

Provenance: the HVAC problems and related motion are discussed in SEG 003.