BENTONVILLE — Benton County employees began their work week with office temperatures near 90 degrees as the air-conditioning system in the County Administration Building failed because of mechanical problems.
“It was 87 degrees in my office the other day. I had to borrow a fan to stay in here,” County Judge Bob Clinard said Wednesday, the first morning of the week the building’s cooling system was working as the day began.
John Sudduth, director of facilities and construction, said the cooling system is aging and becoming difficult to keep working.
“The system is just old; it’s original to the building,” Sudduth said. “There are 12 condensers, and this is the third one we’ve replaced recently. When the fans go out, they blow a fuse in the main panel, which shuts the system off.”
Bear Chaney, assessor, said his office staff made it through the days of warmer-than-optimum temperatures by bringing fans into the office, taking breaks and drinking lots of water.
“Monday when we came in and the AC wasn’t working, it was definitely hotter in here,” Chaney said. “We had to bring in a couple dozen fans and open all the doors just to keep people in here. It got better that afternoon. Then when we came in Tuesday the temperature was back up again.”
Chaney said the pace of work slowed and people took more time to concentrate on their tasks despite the heat.
“Even a couple of taxpayers who came in here commented about how hot it was,” he said. “We just had to take a few more breaks, drink a lot more water, just keep going.”
Clinard said he’s mulling his options about repairing the system or replacing it. Each of the recent repair jobs has cost between $3,000 and $5,000. He said a preliminary “guesstimate” for a new unit was about $250,000 to replace the 130-ton rooftop unit. He said he’s asked his staff to gather information on replacing the unit and the advisability of continuing to repair it. He said he also has to consider the time needed to get a new unit and either having the new unit installed on a weekend or closing offices during one or two work days.
“One of the problems with replacing it is that it takes 60 to 90 days to get a new unit,” Clinard said. “They don’t have these things just sitting around. We also need to have good information on the continuing cost of maintaining this unit. That’s been the mentality of county government in the past — ‘Just keep fixing it.’ I would think a new unit would be much more energy-efficient.”
Clinard said, regardless of which choice is made, officials need to come to a quick decision.
“It looks like it’s going to be a hot summer,” he said.
At A Glance
High Temperatures
The Benton County Administration Building was without central air conditioning for much of Monday and Tuesday when the high temperature topped 100 degrees. The National Weather Service calls for highs near 100 degrees again today and Friday.
Source: Staff Report