POUGHKEEPSIE – Members of the Dutchess County Legislature’s Public Works Committee were briefed on an upcoming proposal that will seek $995,000 in bonds to pay for HVAC work in several county buildings. DPW Commissioner Rob Balkind gave an overview of the projects Thursday evening.
According to Balkind, the nearly $1 million in work will include $350,000 for the modernization of the HVAC system at 50 Market Street, which houses the Department of Probation and Dutchess County Family Court. Work at the Poughkeepsie building will look specifically at ventilation and conditioning of the air which has become a major concern as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic.
In a memo from Balkind to Deputy County Executive Bill O’Neil, Balkind said “New equipment will increase energy efficiency and reduce system failures that can disrupt county building operations and services provided to the public.”
In addition to the Family Court building, the plan includes converting the DPW Maintenance Shop on Dutchess Turnpike from oil heat to natural gas, including the removal of the bulk petroleum storage tank. That project carries an estimated cost of $170,000. Balkind’s plan also includes the conversion from oil heat to natural gas at four DPW outpost buildings throughout the county for a total of $260,000.
The boiler at the Community and Family Services building at 60 Market Street is slated to be replaced. The estimated cost, according to Balkind, is $100,000. The commissioner said that the work included in this bond resolution is not a result of an overall assessment but rather is the result of observations made by DPW staffers during the daily operations of the facilities.
The legislature’s Public Works Committee will vote on the bond request at their May meeting. If approved, it will then be voted on by the full legislature at the regularly scheduled May meeting.
