Supervisors look to asbestos removal as Floyd County project moves to courthouse updates

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

As the new Floyd County Law Enforcement Center moves closer to opening, the Board of Supervisors is turning more attention to the part of the project that include updates in the courthouse.

The board spent a good part of its meeting Monday morning discussing asbestos removal from the courthouse in preparation for parts of the update project that includes installing new windows, new ductwork for a heating and air-conditioning system connected to the new HVAC system in the LEC, a fire suppression sprinkler system and some other changes.

The board has been looking for ways to use federal American Rescue Plan funds — potentially more than $3 million for the county — toward the LEC project, but most of it does not qualify because it was bid before the March 3, 2021, eligibility start date.

County Auditor Gloria Carr said because none of the asbestos work has been bid yet, it would be appropriate to use American Rescue Plan funds.

An inspection done in 2018 identified asbestos in various places throughout the courthouse, including in floor tile, pipe insulation, window caulk and window glazing, some metal doors and other areas.

A large part of the renovation project is replacing all the windows in the courthouse, so the asbestos removal crews would need to coordinate with the window installers so old windows can be removed as new ones are getting ready to be installed.

The goal is to replace five windows per day, according to an asbestos removal bid request form approved by the supervisors at a meeting Tuesday afternoon.

Supervisor Doug Kamm said just because asbestos has been found doesn’t mean it all needs to be removed. If the asbestos-containing material is not crumbling or fraying and is not being disturbed by renovations it does not have to be removed.

Kamm suggested that instead of getting bids based solely on the expected work required, that the bids include a price per square foot of asbestos abatement so if more work is identified as the project is underway they will know what the additional cost is and whether they want to add to the project.

The board agreed to schedule a walk-through of the building the morning of Friday, Nov. 12, with potential asbestos removal bidders and Tim Nordlund, regional manager with the Samuels Group, the LEC and courthouse construction manager company.

Bids would be due by Nov. 23.

The board also spent some time discussing a slippery situation in the new Law Enforcement Center.

Chief Deputy Pat Shirley, who has been advising on security and functional issues as the LEC was being built, said the floors in the sally port are dangerously slippery, especially when wet.

The sally port is the secured garage area where law enforcement officials can transfer detainees into or out of squad cars.

Shirley said the original plan had been to apply both Saltguard and Sharkgrip to the concrete floors — Saltguard to protect the floors from the salt that vehicles will bring in from roads in the winter, and Sharkgrip to provide a slip-resistant surface.

He said they had originally been told that both products could be used together, but when the crew arrived to treat the concrete floors they said once the Saltguard had been applied the Sharkgrip would not stick to the surface.

“They said only one or the other, so we chose the Saltguard,” Shirley said.

The supervisors, Shirley and project superintendent Brian Shindelar discussed options, and ended with Shindelar, who works for the Samuels Group, saying he would contact other flooring professionals for their suggestions.

Also at the meeting, the board:

• Discussed the job description and salary range for a new county engineer. Kamm suggested $100,000 to $130,000 and Supervisor Roy Schwickerath said that seemed like a good range.

Auditor Carr noted that the $134,000 annual salary of the previous engineer had been split between Floyd and Chickasaw counties, so if Floyd County hired someone for $130,000 by itself it would be almost doubling its costs.

“Would you really pay that much?” she asked.

The board decided on a range of $100,000 to $120,000 after looking at the salaries paid to county engineers in counties of a similar population as Floyd County.

The board plans to approve the job description at its next regular meeting, post the opening and ask for applications to be sent in by Dec. 6. With a couple of weeks for interviews, the board hopes to be able to make an offer to a new county engineer before the end of the year

• Scheduled public hearings for 1:15 p.m. at the supervisors meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 23, regarding a request to subdivide 3.1 acres for Crazy Acres Subdivision and to rezone the property from agricultural to R-1 residential.