Kenny Schmitz, Woodbury County Building Services Department Director, talks on Nov. 24, 2020, in front of a chiller on the fifth floor of the Woodbury County Courthouse that is scheduled to be replaced. The replacement is part of a $1 million project to modernize the building's air conditioning and heating systems.
SIOUX CITY -- The heating and cooling system in the century-old Woodbury County Courthouse has been dogged with problems in recent years, and imminent repairs costing $1 million will be a big help, county officials say.
"Excessive start-stop cycling of the outdated, water-cooled chiller has cut short its useful life, meaning it ran full blast for the smallest temperature change for almost 25 years," Woodbury County Board of Supervisors Chairman Matthew Ung said.
On Nov. 17, County Supervisors approved a contract of $1,029,645 with C.W. Suter in Sioux City to undertake the work in the so-called chiller system beginning in December. The work should be completed by spring, county Building Services Department Director Kenny Schmitz said.
The courthouse located at 620 Douglas St. downtown holds many departments and a good chunk of the county's estimated 400 employees. It opened in 1918 after being designed by famed architect William Steele and built for $850,000.
The courthouse was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 and designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1996.
Kenny Schmitz, Woodbury County Building Services Department Director, walks on Nov. 24, 2020, in front of a chiller on the fifth-floor of the Woodbury County Courthouse that is scheduled to be replaced.
However, millions of dollars have been spent over the last 25 years to address various aging elements, including courtrooms and the building's exterior. In 2017, a consultant, Pete Franks of Franks Design Group, shared a list of $12 million in courthouse needs.
With the $1 million repair at hand, the money will come from annual borrowing in the county's Capital Improvement Plan, Finance Director Dennis Butler said.
Ung said chiller repairs in early 2020 showed the need for a full replacement of the system.
The new elements include a two-stage system with integrated climate controls that adds use of an outside air-cooled chiller, which also will supply redundancy, to reduce the likelihood of a complete failure of the system. A wall will have to be opened and new piping will be placed as part of the repairs.
Schnitz said the first chiller portion should be operable by March, with the entire project to be done by May. Ung said the project will be carried out with little disruption to departmental services to county residents, with winter being the best time to carry that out.
"Our Building Services Department has done an excellent job navigating the process," Ung said.
PHOTOS: Woodbury County Courthouse past and present
PHOTOS: Woodbury County Courthouse past and present
First courthouse
The first Woodbury County Courthouse, 1878-1918, stood at the southeast corner of Sixth and Pierce streets.
Courthouse construction
The Woodbury County Courthouse is under construction in this photo from Sept. 19, 1916.
Courthouse construction
The Woodbury County Courthouse is shown under construction in this photo from May 24, 1917. The courthouse opened the following year.
Courthouse drawing
An early drawing of the Woodbury County Courthouse is shown.
Courthouse dome
The Woodbury County Courthouse dome is under construction in this photo from Oct. 17, 1917.
'Western Architect'
A page from "The Western Architect" publication from February 1921, showing the interior of the Woodbury County Courthouse.
'Western Architect'
A page from "The Western Architect" publication from February 1921, showing the interior of the Woodbury County Courthouse.
Courthouse and City Hall
Traffic drives on Douglas Street in front of the Woodbury County Courthouse, left, and Sioux City Hall in about 1965. City Hall was found to be tipping in January 1965.
Woodbury County Courthouse
The current Woodbury County courthouse.
Courthouse interior
A view from inside the Woodbury County Courthouse.
Light fixtures
Light fixtures inside the Woodbury County Courthouse.
Courthouse mail chute
The 90-year-old mail chute in the Woodbury County Courthouse was shut down in 2011 because it didn't meet U.S. Postal Service requirements for public access.
Courthouse security
Woodbury County Sheriff Dave Drew is shown in the county courthouse in a April 2015 photo.
Courthouse elevators
The elevators of the Woodbury County Courthouse, which date to 1918, are shown.
Courtroom repairs
Kenny Schmitz, Woodbury County Building Services director, climbs over a bench in Courtroom 203 on the second-floor of the county courthouse in July 2016. The courtroom was closed while workers repaired a slab of marble that fell out of a window surround and almost caused stained glass windows to fall out of their frames.
Courthouse terra cotta
Straps and a board hold up a failing terra cotta tile at the Woodbury County Courthouse in 2016.
Courthouse terra cotta
Kenny Schmitz, Woodbury County Building Services Director, raises a lift to a loose piece of terra cotta at the Woodbury County Courthouse in 2016. Terra cotta tiles on the south side of the building's exterior were in immediate danger of falling down to the ground and there several additional areas where cement grout was missing on the decorative tiles.
Election Watch Party
People attend an election watch party at the Woodbury County Courthouse in November 2016.
Courthouse repair
Ceiling tiles at the Woodbury County Courthouse, shown in December 2016, were in need of repairs.
Courthouse architecture
The Woodbury County Courthouse features sculptural work by Alfonso Iannelli, an influential Italian-American modernist artist who briefly worked with Frank Lloyd Wright.
Courthouse architecture
Two buffalo head sculptures can be seen on the backside of the Woodbury County Courthouse, which opened in 1918. The building is an example of Prairie School architecture.
Woodbury County Courthouse
The Woodbury County Courthouse, which opened in March 1918 at 620 Douglas St., houses courtrooms and most county departments.
