Last week, the board of commissioners approved a budget of $192,000 to overhaul the atrium area to try to stop future leaking.

 

The atrium, a two-story circular area close to the main entrance to the Government Center, was built during an expansion project in 1986.

 

Not long after the atrium was added, employees began noticing some moisture on the interior wall surface where the ceiling and wall met.

 

During extremely cold weather, icicles could be seen hanging from the atrium’s roof soffit vents.

 

The moisture issue continued periodically throughout the years that followed. It was believed the moisture was caused by warm air reaching the attic space and condensing on the cold deck surfaces.

 

In 2003, the county attempted to correct the problem by replacing the atrium’s hood with a ventilator fan. An exterior aluminum ladder was attached to the atrium’s exterior wall to allow access to service the fan.

 

After the fan was installed it was assumed the problem was corrected, and the interior sheetrock on the atrium ceiling was repaired.

 

But during cold winter weather, employees again noticed water trickling down the walls and icicles forming again. In the past few years, enough water would trickle down to pool on the floor, creating a safety hazard for employees and visitors to the Government Center.

 

 

Last spring, the county hired Inspec, Inc. to investigate the problem and come up with options to repair the problem, along with a cost for each option.

 

Those options were: 1. Replace the uninsulated metal roofing system with a new metal roof or PVC roof and put the structural steel in the warm side of the assembly, close ventilation openings and replace the sheetrock at a cost of about $340,000;

 

2. Remove the roof system and ceiling, install a new translucent skylight system at a cost of $671,000;

 

3. Remove the existing roof and ceiling, build a new roof matching the height and style of the lower roof, frame a new floor and add second-story space at a cost of $926,000;

 

4. Remove the existing roof and ceiling, build a new roof matching the height of the lower roof without framing for a second-story space at a cost of $600,000.

 

Those options were presented to the county’s Building and Purchasing Committee on Feb. 11 and were discussed in depth.

 

County Administrator Steve Taylor suggested contacting another firm, Wold Architects, to review those options. 

 

“We brought in an architect who does these things on a fairly consistent basis and they came up with some additional options,” Taylor told the board Tuesday. “What this comes down to is, it’s leaving the existing structure intact but repairing it so it’s water tight.”

 

Bill Marx of the building maintenance department said Wold estimated it would cost about $192,000 for a modified version of Inspec’s first option without the need to replace the steel roof.

 

“This changes the vapor barrier and style of insulation. They want to go with a sprayed closed cell insulation on all of the metal surfaces,” he said, “basically changing the attic space into a warm space rather than a cool space. So it transfers the vapor barrier more up to the surface that was causing the issues.”

 

The new design would eliminate any of the interior touching the cold surface. Wold’s proposal would also add four ceiling fans to push warm air down, away from the ceiling.

 

Taylor said the board’s action on Tuesday was to approve the estimated budget of $192,000 for the repairs, not award a contract to Wold.

 

“So when the project budget is approved, we’ll go out for bid then,” he said. “This is like an engineering estimate. This is our expectation.

 

This is where we’re hoping to land - or less.”