From Palouse with love: Hanson ships slices of home to soldiers on Afghan front

Whitman County commissioners Monday authorized a $40,935 engineering study to find efficiency opportunities in courthouse campus buildings.

Though the county cut the spending plans of individual departments by 2.61 percent this year, Commissioner Pat O’Neill justified the study expense by saying it will prevent the need for further cuts in future years.

“Once we fix these things, we’re going to free up a lot of money in savings that are going to make future cuts that less drastic,” said O’Neill.

The year-long study by Seattle-based McKinstry, an energy and facility management consultant firm, will give the county a list of the cost and scope of potential energy saving projects.

Jayson Schmidt, a representative of McKinstry, told commissioners the firm expects to identify projects that will save the county $12,000 per year.

If the county decides to undertake the projects McKinstry would act as the general contractor, calling bids for private firms to make the upgrades.

Commissioner Michael Largent noted that helped his decision to vote in favor of funding the engineering study.

“This makes sense right now. Unfortunately you often have to spend a little money to find out where you can save,” said Largent. “And we need to start developing a strategy to get energy savings that pay for themselves, including this study.”

A program through the state Department of General Administration Facilities Division allows the county to get low-interest loans to fund such projects. Those loans, said O’Neill, are structured to allow the county to repay up-front costs from its utility and maintenance savings.

The study is expected to be completed in 225 days.

Among projects expected to be in the report are studies on the cost of upgrading electrical service and insulation in the courthouse, replacing heating and cooling systems that are up to 40 years old and require higher maintenance costs, and what could be gained from lowering the ceiling in the superior courtroom.

The firm will also look into the costs of putting a new cooling system in the information technology building. Late last year, the county’s computer system crashed after overheating.

The county in 2002 issued $2.7 million in bonds to fund energy improvements to the courthouse. Commissioner Greg Partch said savings from the windows, lights and heating and cooling system purchased for the courthouse with those proceeds have paid off in energy savings.

“It turns out we were way ahead of the curve on that one,” said Partch.

A little more than $500,000 remains from that bond. That money can only be used on the courthouse itself, not the campus. Plans are to use that to remodel the courthouse and make it more easily accessible to the handicapped.

Final payment on the courthouse bonds is due in 2015.