The LaSalle County Property Committee on Sept. 26 approved a change order to repair loose bricks on the downtown courthouse and voted to forward a financing request to the county finance office to pay the $26,850 cost from the project's contingency or emergency fund.

County maintenance staff said contractors provided a higher initial estimate of about $42,000 to reset and anchor roughly 630 loose bricks; the price was negotiated down to $26,850. The committee voted to approve the change order and then to send a funding request to finance so work can proceed.

Committee members also heard from maintenance staff about multiple ongoing building issues: roof and flashing work around rooftop air-handling equipment, replacement of corroded boiler flues, power-panel and generator transfer upgrades, and a pump in the jail’s sewer line that frequently becomes clogged with plastic and other debris. Maintenance staff described the pump-cleaning work as labor-intensive and unsanitary and said plastic bags and water bottles are recurring causes of impellers jamming.

On the jail chiller, county staff presented preliminary scheduling and architect/engineer fee information for replacing aging chiller units in the jail basement. The staff presentation said a recent change in federally recommended refrigerants has made the currently installed units noncompliant for indoor placement; the proposed approach is to use packaged rooftop units that combine the chiller and condenser in one outdoor-rated assembly. Staff asked that the project be considered in next year’s budget and that design work begin in advance of construction.

The committee also considered personnel and labor matters. A resolution to forward an appointment for the LaSalle County maintenance director to the full board was sent on to the board; the committee discussion did not clearly record the full name of the appointee in the oral minutes and the resolution document was referenced separately. Separately, committee members voted to recommend to the county’s salary-and-labor committee that the maintenance department’s hazard-pay provision be reinstated or otherwise paid to employees. State’s attorney staff indicated the hazard-pay language had appeared in a prior contract and that AFSCME agreed maintenance employees should receive payment consistent with that prior agreement.

Why it matters: The approved repair and forwarded financing will allow immediate work to secure brick façades that county staff say are at risk of further deterioration. The jail chiller proposal reflects a national refrigerant/code change that affects equipment siting and may require capital funding. The hazard-pay recommendation reverses an omission in the most recent union contract and seeks to restore compensation for on-call biohazard or emergency cleanup work.

Action and next steps: The committee approved the change order and forwarded a request to finance to fund the work; staff will proceed with contractor scheduling once funding is confirmed. The chiller engineering proposal will be routed through the county’s budget process and the state’s attorney for contract review. The hazard-pay recommendation will be forwarded to salary and labor for possible side-letter or contract negotiation with AFSCME.

Selected quoted material from the meeting: "We told you we need to get going on it and, for timing purposes," said committee staff presenting the chiller proposal, urging an October 9 internal deadline for budget planning. Amanda, the county attorney's office representative, said the prior contract did include the hazard-pay provision and "AFSCME is in agreement that the guy is getting the payment as well," according to the minutes.