Dec. 16—EBENSBURG, Pa. — Contracts totaling almost $900,000 for renovations of the Cambria County Courthouse natural gas boiler system are part of an effort to upgrade county infrastructure with federal funds, leaders say.
John Hall Inc., of Ligonier, was awarded the $865,217 mechanical construction contract and Hallstrom-Clark Electric Inc., of DuBois, was awarded the $28,000 electrical contract during Wednesday's Cambria County commissioners' meeting.
The work will be paid for with COVID-19 relief funds the county received through the American Rescue Plan, Controller Ed Cernic Jr. said.
"The boilers give us problems all the time," Cernic said after the meeting. "They have been in there since the courthouse converted from coal many years ago. There is a lot of expensive maintenance."
County leaders saw the American Rescue Plan money as an opportunity to upgrade infrastructure at county facilities. A $1.7 million contract to replace the county prison roof was approved earlier this year. Work will begin in the spring, Cernic said.
Meanwhile, the commissioners are getting ready to replace sewer laterals for county facilities in downtown Johnstown. They anticipate it will cost several hundred thousand dollars for the work at the Central Park Complex, Cambria County Library, Johnstown Senior Activities Center and 1st Summit Arena @ Cambria County War Memorial.
In addition, the county is looking for options after the lowest bid for replacing some 300 courthouse windows came in at $3.5 million.
"We have a lot of balls in the air," Cernic said. "We have a lot of infrastructure needs in our buildings all around the county that we are trying to address."
In other business at Wednesday's meeting, the commissioners:
—Accepted a state grant of $147,940.67 for mosquito-borne disease control.
—Terminated the lease on a property on Wertz Road, Johnstown, with several emergency services radio towers. Newer towers in other areas now cover the same areas.
—Authorized $27,827.22 for emergency road repairs and pipe replacement on Candlelight Drive.
—Accepted Ebensburg business Rankin's Rusty Scissors' proposal to provide barber services at the county prison for three years. Rates are $13 for a haircut and $7 for a beard trim.
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