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Floyd County LEC and courthouse project moves closer to finish

Floyd County LEC and courthouse project moves closer to finish
John Howe, the Floyd County courthouse custodian and groundskeeper (left), and a construction worker remove the plywood and scaffolding construction barrier over the sidewalk leading to the courthouse ground floor entrance Monday morning, another sign that the courthouse and Law Enforcement Center project is winding down. Press photo by Bob Steenson
By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

Progress continues toward the completion of the Floyd County Law Enforcement Center and courthouse update project, with the front entry area now prepared for grass and the plywood construction shelter over the courthouse sidewalk coming down on Monday.

The new supervisors boardroom on the ground floor of the courthouse is substantially complete and the list of projects needing to be completed or redone in the courthouse continues to decline.

Supervisor Dennis Keifer said Monday during the weekly project update at the Board of Supervisors meeting that there is still a concern about noise coming from the ductwork installed as part of the courthouse’s connection to the new heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system that was installed with the Law Enforcement Center.

County Auditor Gloria Carr said the larger ductwork is connected by gaskets, and there isn’t as much problem with noise there, but the smaller ducts are connected with clips and noise is coming from there.

“Our office is very noisy,” she said. “When you’re in the office it just kinds of build up and you kind of build this tension up that you don’t even realize, … and then, when that goes off, it’s like your body just releases this tension because it just tightened you up with the noise.”

She also listed several other areas with transitions from larger ductwork to smaller ductwork that are “terribly noisy.” Carr said some areas that have acoustic ceiling tiles in a false ceiling below the ductwork are less noisy, but other areas like the Auditor’s Office have the ductwork exposed.

“As far as I’m concerned it’s not over. I don’t think that’s good workmanship right now,” Carr said.

Later in the meeting, while discussing a budget amendment, Supervisor Chair Mark Kuhn said, “When we do complete the project we’ll give a full and complete accounting of the costs.”

The project consists of the Law Enforcement Center, with the Sheriff’s Office, county dispatch and a new county jail; the courthouse updates, which include all new windows, new HVAC connection, fire suppression sprinkler system and several office relocations; and an atrium joining the LEC and the courthouse that includes the entrance lobby and new handicapped-accessible elevators and restrooms for all five floors of the courthouse.

The project was originally estimated to cost less than $13.5 million, but bids came in at more than $16 million and the previous board of supervisors approved continuing the project for that amount.

Also at the meeting Monday morning, the supervisors:

• Approved a budget amendment accounting for $854,681 in additional revenue and $544,266 in additional expenses, increasing the expected total ending fund balance for the fiscal year ending June 30 from $9,682,257 to $9,992,672, an increase of $310,415. There were no comments on the amendment during a public hearing.

• Discussed with Spencer Pech, an engineer with ISG Inc., of Storm Lake, a proposed resolution prepared by the Iowa Drainage Ditch Association regarding hazardous liquid pipelines and other utilities crossing through county drainage districts, including requirements of the company doing the work, fees charged, etc. The supervisors could approve the policy as trustees of some of the drainage districts in the county.

Pech said it would cost about $3,000 to $3,500 for ISG to work with the county’s drainage attorney to develop the policy for Floyd County. The cost could be paid by the county or by the drainage districts, and any fees collected under the resolution would go to the drainage districts.

• Issued a warning to the Sheriff’s Office regarding making sure that purchases made on a county credit card do not include state sales tax, because the county is exempt. Sheriff Jeff Crooks said the office needed to order new checks and the company that the order was placed with previously had the county’s tax-exempt number, but it wasn’t applied this time. The company said it would credit the amount back to the card.

The supervisors agreed that this was likely an unintentional error, but since they had recently warned another department for the same violation of county credit card policy they felt it was necessary to be consistent.

• Heard an update from County Engineer Jacob Page that a 3rd Avenue repaving project in Floyd would not be completed this year because the Iowa Department of Transportation was concerned it might interfere with haul routes for the Avenue of the Saints elevated interchange project currently underway.

“We’ll look to get bids in the spring,” he said.

Floyd County LEC and courthouse project moves closer to finish
The new Floyd County Board of Supervisors boardroom on the ground floor corner of the courthouse where a garage used to be, is nearly finished and ready for use. Press photo by Bob Steenson

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