Lauderdale County supervisors moved forward Monday with several ongoing county projects including spot paving, HVAC repairs and work at the Van Zyverden community ball fields.

 

In a 4-0-1 vote, supervisors approved a $62,845 quote from Cooper Construction Services LLC for a water and sewer project at the ball fields located off of Van Zyverden Road. The project will include installing a septic tank as well as needed upgrades to the restroom facilities.

 

The project, which was requested by Supervisor J.J. Anders, is part of an effort to allocate the last of the county’s American Rescue Plan Act funding ahead of a statutory deadline. Lauderdale County received approximately $14 million from the 2021 federal legislation, which gave recipients until Dec. 31, 2024 to encumber the funds toward a specific project or have the money returned to the federal government.

 

The ARPA legislation also set a deadline of Dec. 31, 2026 for all of the funding to be spent.

 

Anders was joined by supervisors Craig Houston, Josh Todd and Kyle Rutledge in supporting the project. Supervisor Joe Norwood abstained.

 

Detention Center HVAC

 

Supervisors also approved a bid of $1,685,000 from McLain Plumbing & Electrical Services Inc. to renovate HVAC systems in the Lauderdale County Detention Center. County Administrator Chris Lafferty said the project will replace a large portion of the HVAC units at the center, which are outdated and past their useful life.

 

Sheriff Ward Calhoun said many of the units were first installed in 1998 and are obsolete.

 

Earlier this year, the county was forced to make an emergency repair after some of the HVAC system went down. While the Detention Center is not currently having HVAC issues, Lafferty said accessing the units isn’t easy, and replacing them now is prudent to avoid future issues.

 

“Getting to them is what makes this a very expensive renovation,” he said.

 

Murphy Road

 

A recently completed project on Murphy Road will also be getting some attention after the Board of Supervisors voted to accept a $24,120 quote from D&E Construction to spot pave the area where a concrete box culvert was recently installed.

 

Murphy Road was shut down in 2021 after inspectors found deficiencies in the bridge just south of Highway 11/80 and reopened to traffic Nov. 1.