By Terry Witt – Spotlight Senior Reporter

            A big air conditioning unit that required a crane to hoist it to the roof of the Levy County Development Building in Bronson Thursday brought instant relief to the employees inside as soon as it was operating.

            Levy County Construction and Maintenance Director Jimmy Jones said the unit began cooling the interior of the building quickly and the temperature went from sweltering heat to 74 degrees in a short period of time.

            Karlton’s Heating and Air from Williston was asked by Jones to order the air conditioning unit last week. Karlton installed it. Williston Crane hoisted the unit to the roof.

            Jones said he approached county commissioners to ask if the air conditioning unit could be purchased on an emergency basis due to the extreme heat and he was given the green light.

            The unit cost $8,500.

            “It was just so hot on one side of the building,” he said.

            The subject of inadequate air conditioning for the building was mentioned at Tuesday’s Levy County Commission meeting by roofing contractor Charlie Kennedy. He said the AC unit had been broken for more than a year.

            County Coordinator Wilbur Dean said one of the air conditioning units on the roof of the building was still functional and provided adequate cooling until the heat wave hit. The second unit was needed at that point.

            Karlton Norton, owner of respected heating and air conditioning firm from Williston, said he got a call last week from the county to order the unit and install it.

            The main thrust of Kennedy’s presentation to commissioners was that county office staff failed to inform local contractors about DemandStar, an electronic bidding system used by the county. Dean felt his office had indeed informed contractors. He was surprised at the controversy.

            Norton wasn’t present for the Kennedy presentation and didn’t know about it, but when asked Thursday at the job site about DemandStar he said he hadn’t heard of it.

            The county knew one of the air conditioning units on the top of the development department building wasn’t functioning.  Jones said his maintenance team tried several times to repair the rusted-out unit but with no success. When the unit became so rusty it was leaking water into the building, they wrapped a blue tarp around it.

            “People were asking me, what’s that blue tarp on top of the building?” he said. “It was leaking water. That’s how rusted it was.”

            Jones is retiring from his job as construction and maintenance manager in about six weeks. He wants to spend more time with his grandkids and do some fishing.

            “When I broke the news to staff that I was retiring – I’ve got 17 employees now including custodians – they were real-emotional. I said if you think about it, I’m getting out when I have my health,” Jones said.

            Jones, a hard worker, military veteran, and a popular figure in county government, said it’s time for someone younger to take his position and do it better than him.

            He said it’s hard to leave. It was also difficult when he left the soldiers he served with in the military, but Jones said he is moving into a new phase of his life after 31 years with the county and it’s time to go into retirement.

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Enterprise Reporting August 10, 2023; Posted August 10, 2023