County staff report geothermal failure, unplanned $8,000 VFD replacement and security testing plans

County employees briefed supervisors on recent facility and security issues, including an unexpected failure in the courthouse geothermal control system that required an unplanned replacement and ongoing work to improve resilience.

A county employee said brief power outages earlier this summer damaged a variable‑frequency drive (VFD) that controls the courthouse geothermal pumps, requiring an unplanned replacement that cost "about an $8,000 unexpected issue with that." Staff used temporary window air conditioners in some spaces while repairs were completed; the replacement unit was installed and is operational. The employee said the county is finalizing specifications for a cooling‑tower project intended to resolve loop‑field and geothermal reliability issues and hopes this will be the last summer with those problems.

Supervisors and staff discussed testing and expansion of panic buttons and other safety measures in county buildings; staff said they are working with internal safety committee members and vendors but that a major overhaul is not currently budgeted. Board members also asked staff to consider conditioned or backup power for computerized building systems to avoid future equipment losses from power anomalies. A conservation staffer (Katie) reported on ISAC conference attendance, the resolution of an insurance claim, and progress on the maintenance building and campground duties.