While it was a difficult decision and one not taken lightly, the Barton County Commission Wednesday morning approved a bid from Kruse Corporation of Wichita for a base bid of $4,182,000 to replace the Courthouse’s antiquated heating, air conditioning and ventilation system. Commissioners felt the time was right to take the plunge and preserve the stately century-plus old building.

There was a sense of sticker shock about a month ago when they opened the two bids for the project. They were stunned when this yielded cost estimates of $1 million higher than expected. 

The only other bid came from Glassman Corporation of Hays for $4,495,040.

“No one here wants to spend $4.2 million on improvements, but we can’t continue to kick the can down the road,” said commission Chairman Shawn Hutchinson, District 3, noting this has been talked about for about two decades.  “It’s time to take the initiative, it’s time to be responsible,  it’s time to put forth the energy and recognition of the value of  20 years of discussion and move forward with the HVAC system to say with pride that on our watch, we made the capital investment the future this building and serve the citizens of our county.”

To pay for this, the county will tap its remaining $2,803,700.37 COVID-19 American Rescue Plan Act funds and $5,787,707.37 from general fund reserves. 

Delaying the decision following the bid opening only set the project back about a week, Hutchinson said. The goal is to vacate the Courthouse in June and return in May 2024.

During the year-long replacement of the HVAC system, the Courthouse will be closed to the public. It will also be closed for county business, meaning offices have to be temporarily relocated.

The county is currently in negotiations for the use of two locations. 

The county has a letter of intent to use the former Sears Store on the west side of the 1700 block of Main Street for the 20th Judicial District court operations and the County Attorney’s Office. They have not announced the other site.

Under the plan, the old boiler and chiller will be replaced by a new heat pump system. Aside from the system’s new machinery and duct work in the ceiling, the building’s look and heating-cooling footprint would remain mostly unchanged. 

There will also be two fresh air circulating units on the roof.

In addition to the HVAC, the project includes new LED lighting and fixtures, a new ceiling, a new fire alarm system and a new two-way emergency communications system with access at each elevator door. An interior facelift, including new carpet and paint, is also on the list.

Discussion

Hutchinson invoked  President John F. Kennedy who was facing a Cold War and civil unrest in 1961. “That’s huge,” he said, noting Kennedy had some tough decisions to make. 

“Locally, we face replacing our heating and ventilation air conditioning system at the courthouse. That’s huge for us,” Hutchinson said. “When I say huge I mean expensive.”

The Courthouse is over 100 years old, and county officials have made updates and repairs as needed, he said. Now, for over the last 20 years, they have talked about the HVAC but not acted. 

“I don’t blame them, given the expense and logistics,” Hutchinson said. “There have been improvements in the 1980s and 2000s, but there has been no coordinated update to the system since the building was completed.

“I’d say we got our money’s worth out of the old system,” he said. The county has the ARPA funds earmarked for this update that meets the act’s requirements to improve environmental safety and air quality.

The county may also get a million or so dollars back in historical tax credits.  

“I know this is difficult and I see why the other commissioners waited,” District 2 Commissioner Barb Esfeld said. “But they did do a good thing and they saved the reserve money they set aside because they knew it needed to be done.”

Although these are expensive times, now is the time to act with ARPA, reserves and the tax credits, she said. “There’s really no better time to do it.”

After a lot of thought, any doubt District 1 Commissioner Duane Reif had went away when he saw the leaks or the patches. “Those are just warning signs. And I think it’s our responsibility to keep this courthouse looking nice, and improving everything in the Courthouse. It’s also our responsibility to take care of the employees, which is part of these decisions.”

District 4 Commissioner Tricia Schlessiger said she was the last holdout on the project. “One of my things was when we ran that we were going to be fiscally responsible,” she said.

But, “we need to be brave new leaders,” she said. “So is it brave to charge ahead do this or is it brave to not?”

So, in the end, “ I think we’re going to be a brave commission” by moving forward with the project.

The matter passed unanimously.

There was praise for new commissioners Reif, Schlessiger and District 5 Commissioner Donna Zimmerman. They attended most meetings and study sessions leading up to their election so they would be prepared to tackle this issue.

Background

“In September 2021, Barton County invited proposals for an architectural and mechanical engineering firm to replace the system and  address building ventilation and to increase air quality,” said County Administrator Matt Patzner. 

The Commission accepted the bid from Orazem & Scalora Engineering of Wichita and DMA Architects of Salina for $4,400 to conduct a feasibility study and make recommendations. After receiving the study in April 2022, commissioners requested a proposal provide a services for design and oversight, and accepted the proposal from OSC for tis service.

These expenses totaled $164,500 and were covered  by ARPA funds.

Barton County accepted bids for the Barton County Courthouse Improvement Plan through Jan. 18.

Using a slide presentation Wednesday, Patzner walked the commission through images showing improvised fixes (including coffee cans catching drips) used to fix leaks and the stains those leaks left behind. He also showed crumbling walls.

“We’re one water break away from a major catastrophe here,” Hutchinson said. County personnel and local plumbers have kept things limping along, that is only for the short term.

Original estimates came in at $2.5 for the new heating and air conditioning system, but commissioners asked about expanding the project to encompass a facelift which bumped up the cost to around $3.5 million.

History

Over a century ago, the Hutchinson firm W.E. Hulse designed the Barton county courthouse and the Manhattan Construction Company Muskogee, Okla., completed construction at a cost of about $250,000, Patzner said. Work began in November 1917 and the cornerstone was laid March 28 1918. 

In 1952, it would have costs the county $19,000 to repair the steps leading up to the second floor. So, the commission at the time ordered the steps be removed and replaced with the present ground floor entrances. 

This resulted in the addition of two more rooms to the building and an elevator to make the upper rooms more accessible. Other updates to the building over the last 100 years have included upgrades of the doors and the windows, a washing and painting of the building, replacement of windows, tornado proofing and roofing repairs.

The boiler was replaced in 2000. “No significant changes have been made to the courthouse HVAC system since that time.” Patzner said.