County cools it with emergency replacement

When the high temperature is near or at the century mark, it doesn’t take long for a non-air conditioned structure to get too hot for comfort.
And when that structure houses a large number of workers and patrons, something has to be done.
Recently something was done at one of the major county office buildings and that something was ratified by the Barton County Commission Monday.
Commissioners ratified the work that was done on an emergency basis, to replace the heating and air condition unit at the Barton County Office Building at 12th and Kansas.
Formerly a Boogaarts grocery store, the facility was converted to hold Court Services, Community Corrections, Juvenile Services, Parole and Extension programs. It was purchased by the county in 1994 and the air conditioning unit that failed dates back to 1991, according to County Administrator Richard Boeckman.
When the unit broke down, it was clear that, with the number of public employees and of patrons who utilize the facility, action was needed.
Boeckman was given emergency approval by the commissioners to work with Campbell’s Refrigeration Service to replace the old unit.
The 10-ton cooling unit was replaced with a 12.5-ton until and the installation was carried out last Thursday and Friday.
Not only is the new unit larger, but it’s also more efficient, and reports are that the building has never been as comfortable as it is now.
The cost, approved by the commissioners officially Monday, was $8,446.
It was also agreed that Boeckman will orchestrate a study of other cooling units in county facilities, so that if there are aging units that may need replacement soon, the county can seek proposals for the work, and not proceed on an emergency basis.