Commissioners seek proposals for HVAC system at the courthouse, jail

J.T. Fey
·4 min read

Codington County Commission unanimously approved a request for proposals from engineering and design firms for plans to repair the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system at the courthouse and the county detention center on Tuesday.

In September, the commissioners budgeted $4.08 million for the project, which includes the cost of paying for a plan to repair the HVAC system that has seen numerous breakdowns the past two years. Proposals are due Jan. 3, 2023.

Steve Molengraaf, county facilities manager, told commissioners he sought engineering recommendations from officials within Watertown and received none. He also contacted Banner Engineering of Brookings, which the county has hired for many of its road projects. Banner recommended Associated Consulting Engineering of Sioux Falls, which provided a quote of $280,000 (taxes not included) to oversee the renovation.

Molengraaf said Associated Consulting Engineering provided several references who provided solid recommendations on its work, but the company wouldn’t be able to begin planning until February. As a result, commissioners decided to cast a wider net in hopes of getting other qualified engineering firms to provide an RFP.

According to the RFP, the detention center was built in 1974 and upgraded in 1996. Some pieces of the HVAC system are more than 20 years old, and several repairs and modifications have been made, leaving the county without a detailed set of drawings.

The RFP document asks for:

  • Design, engineering and necessary drawings

  • Management of the bidding process, and

  • Contract administration and construction oversight

The document also states the following work is needed – heating systems, ventilation and air conditioning systems (to include creation of a negative pressure area or wing), temperature control, necessary fire sprinkler and smoke modifications, electrical power and distribution systems, equipment connections, and a roof for the sheriff’s office and garage.

Work on the project must be done in coordination with the detention center to allow it to continue operation.

Summit Carbon Solutions provides update

Commissioners also received an update from Ben Fuller of Summit Carbon Solutions regarding the company's project to sequester liquified carbon dioxide in North Dakota.

The pipeline project, which spans five states, would collect and liquify CO2 at 33 ethanol plants, including Glacial Lakes Energy in Watertown, and pipe it to North Dakota. By removing the CO2 at the source, ethanol would be eligible to be sold in more locations in the United States and Canada. Currently, some states and Canada block the sale of ethanol because of CO2’s recognized effect on the atmosphere.

Fuller said federal regulations state that if the CO2 isn’t fully removed from ethanol production by 2030, ethanol producers will be forced to purchase carbon credits, effectively ending the refining of ethanol.

Summit is trying to purchase easement agreements with landowners to allow for the installation of the pipeline. Fuller said Summit has easement agreements for just over half of the 477 miles of pipeline in South Dakota, including 5.6 of the 12.7 miles in Codington County. He said Summit still has a target date of beginning construction late next summer.

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, provides requirements for pipeline safety. Fuller said Summit's pipeline will exceed PHMSA requirements for pipeline depth, number of welds and shutoff valves. The pipeline will be continuously monitored from Ames, Iowa, and monitoring will also be done within each state in which the pipeline is located.

Commissioner Troy VanDusen asked Fuller how leaks would be handled by local emergency management, but Fuller said that was not his area of expertise.

In other actions the commissioners:

  • Approved the budgeted purchase of one 2023 Dodge 1500 SSV Crew Cab all-wheel drive pickup and 2 2023 Dodge Charger Police all-wheel drive vehicles from Watertown Ford Chrysler. After credit for trade-ins, total cost of the purchase is $111,646.

  • Approved the budgeted purchase of a Volvo L90 loader for $147,000 for the highway department. The county will receive $80,000 in credit for a 2008 Volvo L90 with 5,000 hours of use. The only other bid was $203,000 by Butler Caterpillar. The purchase was made through Sourcewell through the State of South Dakota.

  • Approved the budgeted purchase of a John Deere 6130 tractor for $119,442.36 from Kibble Equipment of Madison. The county will receive $33,210 credit for a 2001 John Deere 6410 tractor trade-in.

  • Approved the budgeted $28,163.64 purchase of a Diamond 60-inch side rotary mower deck for the county highway department. The seller was Diamond Mowers of Sioux Falls.

  • Approved the hiring of 2 full-time correctional officers for the detention center. Sheriff Brad Howell said the hirings will help relieve scheduling issues with current part-time employees.

This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: Codington County Commissioners seek HVAC proposals