Board OKs new health department entrance [McLeansboro Times-Leader, Ill.]

Sept. 25--MCLEANSBORO -- Hamilton County Board gave the go-ahead to a project to build a new entrance to the county health department in the courthouse due to a mold problem.

The health department will pay for the project, County Board Chairman Joe Bernard said.

Guinn Construction of McLeansboro submitted a proposal of $2,450 to build a wall at the north end of the hallway outside the health department and install a steel-and-glass door there.

The project will allow the health department to expand its waiting area using the south end of the hallway leading into its offices, Clark Griffith, director of the health departments in both Hamilton and Wayne counties, reported by fax to the board.

Service Pro identified the mold problem in the health department's ductwork due to the mixing of cold and warm air, Griffith reported.

"We have a vent that blows cold air into the hallway leading into the main office and a return air vent in the breezeway entering the courthouse," he reported. "Not sure why the heating and air system was installed this way; however, by installing the door, we are eliminating condensation which is contributing to the mold problem and we are improving the efficiency of our systems since we would no longer be dumping cool air into the breezeway."

In other business at its meeting Sept. 17, the board:

--voted to have Willie Grubb, who represents the board on the local Enhanced 911 Committee, attend -- at the county's expense -- the Illinois Public Safety Telecommunications Conference to be held Oct. 20 to 23 in Springfield;

--authorized County Clerk Mary Anne Hopfinger to continue to pay the county's health insurance premiums while the board considers its options regarding health insurance;

--reported that work is continuing on the Fiscal Year 2014 budget.

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