By Rebecca Osterberg
Boone County Board representatives reviewed the status
of “items of substantial completion” at their roads and
capital improvements committee October meeting. County
Representative Anthony Dini (District 2) asked if responses
had been obtained from department heads regarding punch
lists or lists of projects and items due from contractor
work. County Administrator Ken Terrinoni explained that
they had not; however, county board Representative Danny
Anderson noted he thought everything is substantially
complete.
County buildings at the Boone County Administrative
Campus receive their heating and cooling via a system that
uses geothermal energy. The system was paid for in part by
grants for “green” infrastructure projects and required the
installation of numerous wells and piping underground. A
breakdown in that system over the last few months caused
a shutdown, resulting in a reduction in the AC and heating
functions.
After contractors examined the problem involving
the heat pumps in the system, they discovered that there
may have been air in the system. Particles were also
accumulating, leading to a blockage of pipes due to the
chemical composition of the glycol and how it combines
with city water which in the City of Belvidere is very
hard, according to reports by contractors. These particles
apparently migrated into the heat pumps and caused them
to shut down.
The system has now been cleaned and recharged;
however, the system may need continued monitoring, as
well as the possible consideration of using soft water, a
suggestion by Anderson.
Concerns about warranties were discussed with
reassurances offered by the contractors.
“What kind of warranty do we have on the heat pumps
that they’re contaminated now,” asked Anderson.
“All the pumps should be covered by the warranty,” said
Architect Dick Johnson of Richard L. Johnson Associates
of Rockford. “It’s not a wear problem.”
“The actual warranty will run as soon as the county
accepts that the system is running properly,” said
Terrinoni.
Johnson concurred with that statement. “That’s the way
I understand it,” he said.
Terrinoni also noted that he does not have any copies of
the warranties, to which Johnson replied that his company
has them.
Maintenance of the systems was also discussed. “What
do you recommend for the county for the future? Can our
own staff take care of that or is there somebody that we
need to hire?” asked Terrinoni.
While Johnson offered reassurances that there were
not many items that need to be done and that county
maintenance had been through a training session, Terrinoni
noted that that training did not touch on some of the things
that apparently do have to be done.
Johnson insisted that the instructions were, in his words,
“in the specs,” but Terrinoni repeated his concern. “I just
want to know what we are responsible for as the owner
beyond our obligations for warranties,” Terrinoni said.
The approval of pay requests for contractors was held
over with the committee to recess to 6 p.m. prior to the
October county board meeting.
Dini asked Terrinoni where the change-order for the
storage unit for the health department had been submitted.
As a project requiring further examination and the approval
David Worrell, the building
has not yet been signed off.
“Did you look at the
Belvidere fire code when
you built this building, or
did you just rely on the
international fire code?”
Dini asked Johnson.
“I don’t know what the
engineer did,” said Johnson.
“We didn’t go to the city at
that point. We didn’t have
numbers yet.”
“I think what Anthony
is trying to say, knowing
we had that problem here,
did the engineer look at the
Belvidere fire code?” asked
Anderson. “I would have to
say no,” Johnson replied.
“I’ve already told them I
had to say no.”
Snow removal bids for
the Administrative Campus
were also discussed and
a contractor will be
recommended to the full
board at the October
meeting.
….Exactly when will the “punch lists” be made by the county departments and completed by the contractors?
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