Richland County has a surprise quarter-million dollars.
A bid to replace the air conditioner at the Richland County Courthouse came back about $279,000 less than the initial estimate, according to Commissioner Darrell Banks.
Officials expected the project to cost $711,684. After it went out to bid, one company said they could do the work for $705,212 and another, Standard Plumbing and Heating, came back with $431,688.
“This is a rare bit of good news in public construction budgeting,” Richland County Administrator Andrew Keller said. “Obviously a significant margin.”
‘I’ve never seen this percentage’
Before agreeing to the contract, officials asked Richland County Engineer Adam Gove to evaluate the proposal. Gove determined that Standard Plumbing and Heating, which has an office at 947 West Longview Ave. in Mansfield, was the best choice for the job.
“We recommend for the commissioners to make that award,” Keller said.
Commissioners voted to hire the company.
Keller said having a bid come back nearly $300,000 under an estimate is common on very large projects, but he said a savings of nearly 40% is nearly unprecedented.
“Considering the price point of this project, I’ve never seen this percentage that I can recall,” Keller said.
‘A whole new unit’
The project is a continuation of a 2024 problem when temporary “air chillers” were needed to keep the courthouse temperatures reasonably low.
County Maintenance Supervisor Josh Hicks said the entire rooftop system will be replaced.
“It’s a whole new unit,” Hicks said. “It’s one large unit, but it’s a dual machine.”
That means there’s a backup within the unit to provide 60%-80% cooling capacity should half the system fail.
He said the project will not start until at least autumn.
“There’s a lead time on equipment,” Hicks said. “And to shut down the a/c in the middle of summer is not going to happen.”
Contact Zach Tuggle at 419-564-3508. Follow him on X at @zachtuggle.
This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Richland County Courthouse air conditioner $279,000 less than planned
Reporting by Zach Tuggle, Mansfield News Journal / Mansfield News Journal
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By Zach Tuggle, Mansfield News Journal | USA TODAY Network
