Cowlitz County Public Works staff briefed commissioners Wednesday on ongoing Hall of Justice HVAC construction, associated facility moves and a space allocation request from the Noxious Weeds department.

Hall of Justice construction: Savannah Clement, public services, said the HVAC project at the Hall of Justice remains on schedule despite recent jury trials that required construction sequencing changes. The contractor Millig’s project manager, Anthony, was on site this week to coordinate work. Staff said the contractor will complete ceiling and lighting work in the 911 area and then progress to the second and first floors; once the basement area is finished staff offered to arrange a walkthrough for the Board.

Cleaning and move logistics: Staff described interim cleanup issues after weekend construction crews and said Millig plans to add Sunday cleaning via a local company (Servpro) to reduce dust and debris for court staff. Savannah said the Monday following the planned additional cleaning went "really, really well," according to discussions with court staff.

North parking lot and site improvements: The north parking lot was paved about six weeks prior to the meeting but lighting bases remain in engineering review with the City of Kelso and installation by Core Electric is pending permit approval. To address short‑term lighting gaps after daylight savings, staff said temporary lighting may be installed. Staff also said they will install beauty bark and reconsider custom planter pricing after a $34,000 quote for three planter boxes was deemed too costly. A ballot box on the south end of the lot was restored to its prior location and equipped with bollards for protection.

Annex space allocation and CTIP process: The County’s revised CTIP (space allocation) process generated a request by Noxious Weeds to return to its previous annex space. Jennifer Mendoza (identified in the transcript as "Jennifer Mendoza with Noxha Suites") presented the department’s space request and the CTIP committee voted anonymously to recommend allowing the move. The committee’s recommendation included the caveat that the space will be used for the Hall of Justice HVAC project staging and that the Public Defender/PA office will occupy some annex hotel space temporarily in January through mid‑February.

Board response and next steps: Commissioners expressed no objection on the record and staff said they will coordinate move timing and return with firm dates once the PA office move schedule is finalized. Staff also noted the scheduled interior facade assessment for the historic building must wait until after election activity in the elections area; a capital improvement request for historic courthouse facade work will be submitted for the state two‑year historical courthouse grant cycle that opens in June.

Ending: Staff said they will report back with firm move dates, lighting permit status, and the facade study results when available.