Piscataquis jail HVAC upgrade to have slight price reduction

DOVER-FOXCROFT — A project to upgrade the HVAC system at the Piscataquis County Jail will have a slightly reduced rate. Head of Maintenance Josh York told the county commissioners during a Tuesday morning meeting the cost would be about $10,000 less than originally projected. 

Last month the commissioners selected ABM Mechanical, Inc. of Bangor to carry out upgrades to the HVAC system at the jail. The firm’s bid of approximately $828,000 will be covered with ARPA funds.

In July the county had approximately $2.2 million of its $3.2 million in ARPA funding left. Commissioners had mentioned splitting this money between the HVAC system and a dispatch center remodel.

York said during a meeting with ABM Mechanical representatives they told him valves had already been updated and these could remain, thus the approximate $10,000 savings.

“Probably the spring’s when they’ll do the lion’s share of the project,” York said. He said a chiller will not arrive until well into 2024, so some of the work may not be done until the summer or even fall but other parts of the project can be done before this unit arrives.

The commissioners authorized County Manager Michael Wiliams to sign project documents on their behalf, such as the amended contract, to expedite the process.

York also said Dig Safe would check sites on the county campus to see if these locations could be used to erect multiple flag poles.

The commissioners have discussed some ideas to place a new flag pole(s) as a pole currently sits atop the complex building.

York said one site could be near the sidewalk with the pole, base, and electrical work to spotlight the flag costing around $10,000 and the commissioners wondered if multiple poles could go there. The other by the side of the building would include room for multiple poles and with the landscaping and electrical installation the price would be in the $35,000 ballpark.

York said work would not start until the spring so there is plenty of time to plan.

County officials also met with Piscataquis Regional YMCA Branch Director Andrew Walker and Director of Development Matthew Johns. 

Walker mentioned he grew up in Milo and about two years ago came up from the Old Town-Orono YMCA under an agreement between the two locations to help manage the PRYMCA and provide more resources after some leadership turnover in Piscataquis County.

“The x factor here is I’m a Piscataquis County guy,” Walker said. 

“I’m excited to be back in the community I grew up in, I learned to swim there, so it’s personal,” he later added.

Walker mentioned outdoor programming for children and activities for seniors as examples of PRYMCA programming provided to its approximate 1,200 members.. He said the organization is working to ensure all grade 2 students learn how to swim through agreements with the schools.

“There’s a lot of water in Piscataquis County and we want to make sure they and their family are safe around it,” Walker said.

He said the emphasis is being placed on the Piscataquis portion of the name, as the organization wants to serve everyone in the community.

Johns asked about the process for requesting funding from the county.

Williams said requests are typically made in late July/early August and these are considered during the fall budget process. He mentioned the Bangor Area Homeless Shelter – which has served some people coming from Piscataquis County, Piscataquis Regional Food Center, and Eastern Area Agency on Aging as examples of organizations that have made requests previously.