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Chief Administrative Office recommending the Board receive and file a report on the status of emergency water heater replacement at the Placerville jail. (Refer 5/22/12, Item 6)
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At the April 10, 2012 Board of Supervisors meeting the Sheriff's Office brought to the Board the emergency item of replacing the jail water heaters. Public Contract Code section 22050 authorizes the County in case of emergency to repair or replace public facilities' equipment by dispensing with competitive bidding by a 4/5ths vote and to procure all necessary equipment, services and supplies necessary for that purpose without competitive bidding.
The Public Contract code requires that the Board review the emergency action on the next regularly scheduled meeting within 7 days, and thereafter if the board meets weekly at every subsequent meeting at intervals no more than every 14 days until the work done under the emergency exception is concluded.
The work in question was to replace two water heaters located in the Placerville jail which provide hot water to inmates. Hot water must be available to the inmates or the jail would be in violation of Title 24, Sections 1231.3.2 and 1231.3.4. Staff has been attempting to repair and/or secure the unit through replacement of burner and housing parts however the unit had a failure which resulted in significant flames shooting through the housing of the heat exchanger unit and water was extruding through the outer housing and onto the floor of the mechanical room causing the safety mechanism to trip and shut down. This unit is now significantly damaged and is on the brink of a catastrophic failure. The second unit is similarly situated and must be immediately replaced or it too will suddenly and catastrophically fail.
The Board found that (1) the circumstances related to the two water heaters constitute an emergency that will not permit a delay resulting from competitive bidding and that the action of dispensing with bidding requirements is necessary to immediately replace the heaters, and (2) Authorized the Chairman of the Board to immediately execute the necessary contracts