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Osage
County Commission
Courthouse project barely
underway, bills half paid
Wayne White
Managing Editor
Almost half the project is paid for, but Osage County has yet
to see construction begin on $1.1 million in renovations at the
county courthouse.
Monday, the Osage County Commission approved the first two monthly
payments to Trane for the project that will install new heating
and air conditioning and other energy efficiency measures in the
courthouse.
The first payment was $269,421, described as mobilization funds;
the second payment was one of three monthly payments of $215,537.
The final payment of $169,653 is scheduled to be paid in October
at completion of the project.
Nathan Whitney, Trane’s project manager, told commissioners
the first and second payment requests were sent to Lyndon State
Bank instead of the commission, causing a delay in the transaction.
The bank is serving as the lead bank for financing the project,
but the loan was funded by six Osage County banks. The first payment
was due in June.
Commissioners and Whitney agreed future billings should be sent
to the county for commissioners’ approval before the funds
can be sent electronically to Trane.
County counselor Delton Gilliland questioned Whitney about the payment
schedule, noting no work has begun at the courthouse.
“What I see is a bill for about half the cost of the project,
but there’s nothing here yet,” Gilliland said.
Whitney explained his company and contractors had begun ordering
materials that were expected to start arriving within the next few
weeks.
“Things will start happening around here,” Whitney said.
Before Monday’s meeting ended, Whitney visited Lyndon State
Bank to obtain the necessary payment documents; commissioners then
approved the payments.
During the meeting, Whitney surveyed county officers regarding where
wireless temperature sensors should be located on each floor. He
explained that sensors should be in each quadrant of each floor
of the courthouse. As designed, the heating and air conditioning
controls will average the readings from the sensors to determine
how much heating or cooling is needed.
Whitney’s explanation brought questions from personnel regarding
the temperature in each office, and whether upper floors would be
warmer than lower floors.
He said that with the system to be used, there would be a possibility
of temperature differences throughout the courthouse.
“There’s a design around a certain temperature, and
that temperature will be set,” Whitney said. Individual offices
will not have temperature controls; instead a master control will
determine the temperature througout the courthouse.
“The thermostat has the ability to communicate with the rooftop
units,” he said.
He explained the project’s goal is to reduce the amount of
energy used, and temperature control is part of the design plans.
“We’re constrained by those numbers,” he said.
Discussion turned to personnel who might be inclined to use portable
space heaters if their office space was not warm enough for them.
Whitney said the use of space heaters was not in the design plans
and could cause energy costs to be higher than planned.
Although the project is warranted by Trane to reduce energy use
by a specified amount, Gilliland noted the use of portable heaters
could affect the warranty.
“Sounds to me like the commissioners need to ask department
heads to keep an eye on these space heaters,” Gilliland said.
Whitney said that although there could be temperature differences
throughout the building, “It’s the best design we have
come up with based on the building we’re working with.”
“We’re going to improve upon the heating, we’re
going to improve upon air conditioning, we’re going to improve
upon the lighting, it’s going to be better than it once was,”
said Osage County Commissioner Larry Woodson. “Our total objective
is happy employees.”
Woodson’s comments were echoed by courthouse custodian Clark
Thompson, who said that he had worked weekends last winter to ensure
the boiler system was in operation to heat the building during the
week.
The new system might not provide perfect temperature for everyone,
Thompson said, suggesting to other employees, “If you don’t
like it, find another job.”
Whitney said he would be available by phone to any department heads
that experienced problems with the system.
Answering a question raised two weeks ago, Whitney said the design
plans will not include occupancy sensors in the offices.
“Occupancy sensors did not make it into the final project,”
Whitney said, “because it did not pay for itself.”
The concern expressed was that occupancy sensors would not turn
lights off and on at appropriate times.
Whitney also presented to all courthouse officers a tentative work
schedule. A first portion of the project will be the installation
of a new roof, which Whitney estimated to be completed by the end
of August.
While discussing the energy project, commissioners also were confronted
with a decision of how to handle a non-functional air conditioner
that cooled the courtroom. The courtroom air conditioner was not
scheduled to be replaced, but commissioners agreed it was a necessity
since the courthouse’s new air conditioning units possibly
would not be in operation for several months. Commissioners obtained
a bid of $4,500 from Theel Plumbing to replace the air conditioner.
An alternative solution discussed was repairing the existing unit
at a cost of $3,000 with no guarantee as to functionality. It was
decided that a crane from the county’s road and bridge department
would be used to lift the new air conditioner onto the roof.
Other air conditioning discussion centered on the disposition of
29 window units currently in use at the courthouse. A tentative
plan was to declare the units as salvage and offer them to courthouse
employees on a sealed bid basis.
Gilliland suggested the value of the units be determined before
a decision is made. If bidding is allowed, he suggested potential
bidders be allowed to see the units in place and determine if they
were functional before bidding.
In other business, the commission:
• approved a contract with N.R. Hamm Quarry, Inc. to transfer
waste from the county’s tranfer station to a landfill at Perry.
• approved paying Osage County Attorney Brandon Jones $75
per hour for filing appeals briefs. The pay will be in addition
to his regular salary of $4,801.33 per month.
• discussed an application for a conditional use permit for
an asphalt plant at Plummer Creek Quarry. The Osage County Zoning
Board will consider the application at 8 p.m. July 22 in the commissioners’
room.
• approved hiring Cook, Flatt, and Strobel to design three
bridges at a cost of $25,800, $26,800 and $27,200. The fee includes
designs, modeling, permit submittals and right-of-way descriptions.
• heard from Jeanne Kelley regarding the state of Kansas health
insurance plan. The county’s insurance committee will review
the plan and report findings to commissioners.
• accepted resignations from the Osage County Sheriff’s
Office of Kenda Smith, a lake patrol officer, and Richard Smith,
a deputy. |
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