Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Capital Projects topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board awards $4.61M contract for detention-center HVAC upgrades, discusses funding gap
Summary
After staff explained higher costs and long lead times for rooftop and air-handling units at the county detention center, the board awarded a $4,610,915 contract to Vaughn's Plumbing & Heating and directed staff to identify funding to cover a projected fiscal-year shortfall.
Public Works Director Gene Legurski outlined why the detention-center RTU and AHU project exceeded earlier estimates: long lead times, design changes (preheat units) and structural/telemetry requirements raised costs and complexity. Legurski said the estimate based on like-for-like carrier units was low and that updated design and equipment pushed the price well beyond initial budgeting assumptions.
"There is some units out there that are a little bit cheaper. However, when you consider the weight and the size of those, we would have to structurally do some stuff to the roof... those units cost $600,000 apiece," Legurski said, explaining that full replacement of three large AHUs and RTU upgrades increased the project scope. The board voted to award the Sweetwater County Detention Center RTU/AHU Replacement and Upgrade Project to Vaughn's Plumbing & Heating for $4,610,915 (base plus alternate). Commissioners asked staff to use closed capital projects, the capital reserve (about $1.8M after the day's amendment) and ARPA sequencing to cover the near-term shortfall and to spread remaining costs into fiscal year 2026 where possible.
Commissioners also instructed the capital committee to return with prioritized lists for additional capital spending so the board can decide on allocations (several commissioners suggested a $500,000 starting point for new allocations).
