John Coffelt, Editor

The Coffee County Capital Outlay Committee delayed accepting a bid recommendation during the May 1 meeting for three new 13-ton air conditioners for Coffee County Jail.

The county received three bids for the roof-top units: Powers Heating and Air for $330,055.41, CHC Mechanical, $330,375 and Lee Company for $345,812.    

The committee agreed to delay recommending the selection of a bid, requesting job references from the group for the last five years.  Powers Heating and Air, of Ooltewah, Tennessee, had submitted the references with the bid.

Two concerns were cited at the meeting, both involving service to the units. The county has a maintenance contract with Lee Company on the jail’s other units, and the maintenance department was concerned that Lee Company would not be willing to service the units after the manufacturer’s warranty expires.

Maintenance Director Rick Soucy said, “In the past we’ve had issues with one company installing it, then the company that does the maintenance contract showing up and if there’s something wrong, they say ‘We didn’t install this unit, we’re not going to mess with it.’ But the Lee Company did not have the lowest bid so that’s something you guys would have to justify.”

Powers’ CEO Michael Power said that the maintenance on the unit is highly specialized due to the refrigerant used in them and the complexity of the unit.

“The big thing about this is those are AAON units. Hobbs and Associates are representatives on them. That’s who I would contact on the service on them. Instead of me or my guys coming to do it, I want to go with the trained professionals,” he said.

“These are very technical pieces of equipment — a lot of devices in them. They are also brand new with the new refrigerant with a lot of new safeties on them. The refrigerant is now flammable, so we have to have a lot of new safety on there. What we are seeing with all these new devices is that a lot of these new safeties have not been worked out. That is particularly why I want to make sure Hobbs and Associates are doing the service.”

The other concern was related to the longevity of companies who have done work at the jail. Over the last few years when the county has needed capital equipment repairs, they find that the company is no longer in business.

Capital Outlay Chairman Terry Hershman suggested postponing the decision until the references can be assessed.

“We are trying to fix this problem with a hodgepodge deal, and a contractor that doesn’t stay in business 10 years down the road, and then we’re stuck again,” Hershman said. 

The committee will likely hold a special call meeting to approve a recommendation.

John has been with the Manchester Times since May 2011. John has won Tennessee Press Association awards for Best News Photo and placed in numerous other categories. John is a 1994 graduate of Tullahoma High School, a graduate of Motlow State Community College and earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Middle Tennessee State University. He lives in Tullahoma, enjoys painting, dancing and exploring the outdoors.