The Wapello County Board of Supervisors will hold a public hearing regarding the courthouse window replacement project during Tuesday’s weekly meeting at the courthouse.
The project was next in line after the county removed the exterior fire escapes when updating the fire alarm system in the building. The county received its first estimates for the cost of the project in the spring, and it would run between $1.2 and $1.7 million, including labor and any inflationary hikes.
The supervisors said the project will be paid for using American Rescue Plan Act funds, which it will also receive next year. All along, they’ve mentioned using those funds in something where there will be a “return on investment.”
“I think we’ve kind of made that effort from the beginning,” supervisor Brian Morgan said in March. “With energy efficiency, compared to how bad these are now, we’re going to see savings and recoup that. But it’s just a general fact they need done.”
At that same March meeting, supervisor Jerry Parker estimated the window replacement would take about 12 weeks.
“We’ve been trying for four or five years to find some way to be able to do the windows, and here’s that chance,” Parker said at the meeting. “There are other options, but they’re not good.”
The public hearing will be a time to review the plans, specifications and cost estimate of the project. Following the hearing, the supervisors have set a deadline for Aug. 31 for sealed bids for the project.
In other business:
• The supervisor will listen to a presentation from Chad Gappa, a Motorola account manager, regarding the Iowa Statewide Interoperable Communications System, which is the statewide public safety radio system.
• Two new hires are expected to be approved. Paul Totten is expected to be approved as an operations supervisor in the county conservation department, and Karen Velado-Cruz is expected to be hired part-time as an interpreter in the department of human services.
• The supervisors are anticipated to approve a 28E agreement with the City of Agency for an overlay project on Ashland Road from 73rd Street to 70th Avenue. The city owns the west half of the road for about 0.2 miles, and is responsible for its portion of the construction cost.
The meeting begins at 9:30 am, in the third-floor courtroom/board room, and can be viewed on the supervisors’ YouTube channel.
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