Jackson Hospital’s HVAC systems up for review

By Anne Spencer

Published: May 3, 2008

Jackson Hospital is looking to get its heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems in line for future demands.

Since a new facility is not being built – due to the defeat of the sales tax proposal last year – the hospital’s board of trustees is working on updating the current facility.

Last week the Building & Grounds Committee heard proposals from three mechanical engineering firms: Smith Seckman & Reid, which has an office in Orlando; TLC Engineering for Architecture, Tallahassee; and Nash Lipsey Burch, Nashville, Tenn.

They were asked for proposals to do an evaluation of the existing HVAC systems.

Included in the project will be an analysis of the capacity of the existing equipment, physical needs for air flow, and condition of the existing equipment, according to the hospital’s public relations director, Rosie Smith.

“Over the course of time, equipment wears out, and new requirements for air exchanges come about as a result of reconfiguration of space,” says hospital administrator David Hample.

The committee is expected to make a recommendation to the board at its May meeting.

According to Smith, because the hospital is a governmental entity, the fee will not be negotiated until the board has selected the most qualified engineers based on the submitted request for qualifications.

The improvement will be paid for out of cash reserves or some type of long-term financing, depending on the scope of the work, according to Smith.

She says the hospital will be conducting the same process with architectural firms, to help it understand how best to reconfigure existing hospital space to meet the current patient needs, and provide for growth in existing and new medical specialties.

The board next meets on May 21 at 5:30 p.m. in the Hudnall Medical Building on the hospital campus.