County Board Action Awaited on Building Improvements

Members of the Vermilion County Board now know how much it would cost to complete energy savings and other improvements at five county-owned buildings. Bill Pickett has the story…

The price is just over $7.9 million dollars.

Blaine Meadows of Centrica Solutions – a consulting firm hired earlier by the county – presented a report to the County Board’s Finance Committee this week…

{AUDIO: “We have conducted the competitive bidding process on behalf of the County. We have received bids.  We’ve packaged together all of the recommended scope items into a bundled, finalized proposal.  So we are in the final review stages with the County Board to determine whether or not this project moves forward into a construction and implementation.”}

The county has $6.5 million dollars available, and the $7.9 million dollar cost does not include new windows for the Joseph G. Cannon Building where many county offices are located.  The windows have been a top priority, but Meadows says that part of the project has hit a speed bump….

{AUDIO:  “There are certain checks and balances in completing large scale infrastructure projects – such as replacing windows in a historical building like the Joseph G. Cannon Building – so we have to go through those processes, and that takes time.  And working with any governmental agency it takes longer than you’d like, but it’s a process you have to go through – are required to go through.  So, you are prepared to do so.  It’s taken longer than what we expected, but we’re sticking through it.”}

Most of the work that is planned would be at the Rita B. Garman Vermilion County Courthouse where boilers need to be replaced, along with new higher efficiency windows, and LED lights.  LED lighting fixtures would also be installed at the Joseph G. Cannon Building and the Vermilion County Health and Education Building.   And settings would be made to an existing heating and air-conditioning system to save energy when the building is not occupied.    At the Health and Education Building solar panels would be installed on the roof providing an estimated $500-thousand dollar savings in electricity costs over 25 years. Existing boilers would also be replaced there.

Meadows notes there are ways the county could recover some of the costs of the projects….

{AUDIO: “That would be incentives, rebates, grants coming from the State of Illinois.  It would be coming from the federal government as well as local utilities.  So those would be programs to help off-set the cost of doing certain scope items.”}

County Board members must now decide whether to proceed with the entire $7.9 million dollar package or do the work in stages.  The other two buildings where only new lighting is planned are the Vermilion County Animal Shelter and Highway building.