By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post

After discussion Monday evening, the Ellis County Commission voted to move forward with replacing worn-out pipes and fan cooling units for the HVAC system at the Law Enforcement Center at a cost of more than $380,000.

The commission had instructed the project architect to seek bids for the project, but the architect expressed concern with allowing an independent contractor to work with the main contractor, MW Builders, which is already on site.

Part of the replacement was recommended during the design process but was cut in an effort to save money, and because the condition of the piping was unknown.

Work on the first floor of the LEC could be delayed up to 10 weeks while the county waits for replacement materials to arrive.

In other business:

• The commission heard requests from five outside agencies regarding subsidies through the 2016.

• Lori Peterson of Consolidated Management Co. presented the commission with a proposal for food service at the jail.

• The commission also entered into two separate executive sessions. The first was for 10-minutes to discuss real estate acquisition. The second was for 25-minutes for discussion of non-elected personnel matters. No action was taken.