Nick Walters of Johnson Controls, Inc. told supervisors Monday that mechanical upgrades to the courthouse will be complete by Feb. 18.

The new heating and cooling system is designed for maximum efficiency, Walters said.

Unexpected delays in outfitting the old courthouse with the new heating and cooling systems forced the delay from January to February, said Doug Woolworth, project manager for Johnson Controls, Inc.

“There was a lack of crawl space in the basement,” Woolworth said. “We had some difficulty in penetrating concrete and brick walls.”

Contending with 16 inch brick walls in the historic building took additional time and care, Woolworth said.

The finished result will be worth the wait, Walters said.

“The fan coil systems installed in each area will allow for individual control of heated and cooled space,” he said.

“Adams County is the first county in Mississippi to go with this type of performance based contract,” he said.

Environmental systems in county buildings will be controlled through a computer set up in the courthouse, Walters said.

Heating and cooling systems will be programmed into the computer to be turned on and off at specific times of day based on operating hours for each building.

Under the old system, the entire building operated on one temperature control – meaning the whole building was adjusted warmer or cooler with no allowance for different temperatures in different sections of the building.

“We’re installing 43 fan coil systems throughout the building,” Woolworth said, meaning that 43 areas can potentially have 43 different temperature settings.

Johnson Controls has been coordinating their portion of the overall courthouse renovation with Waycaster-Associates, project architect for the renovation.

The delay in finishing up environmental system installation will not slow Waycaster-Associates end of the job, Vickie Barron, project manager for the Adams County Courthouse renovation.

“We can start letting out bids while they finish up,” Barron said.

Waycaster-Associates will be responsible for interior and exterior painting, Barron said, “and general repair work from water damage.”

A start date on this phase of the renovation will hinge on responses to the bids going out now, she said.