63 disinfecting air handlers to be put in county buildings

Posted On: June 30, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has placed a great deal of focus on the quality of the indoor air we breathe.

With that in mind, Volusia County is taking steps to disinfect the air inside six facilities around the county. On Tuesday, the County Council approved a $251,918 contract for the installation of ultraviolet-C (UVC) germicidal treatment systems on 63 air handling units. Once installed, the UVC units will perform microbial disinfection of the air that's pushed through the ventilation ducts in the buildings to help destroy airborne pollutants. The units also help to make the heating and air conditioning systems operate more efficiently.

Initially, the units will be installed at four courthouses – the Volusia County Courthouse and Volusia County Historic Courthouse in DeLand and the S. James Foxman Justice Center and City Island Courthouse in Daytona Beach – as well as the county’s Thomas C. Kelly Administration Center in DeLand and the Volusia County Emergency Operations and Sheriff’s Communications Center in Daytona Beach, with an option to expand to other facilities.

“This is one of the big coronavirus projects we’re doing with the CARES dollars,” Business Services Director Jeaniene Jennings told the council on Tuesday in reference to the federal government’s COVID-19 financial relief program. “What we’ll be able to do is put UV lights, which will help clean the air – add efficiency to six of our buildings.”

The work is being performed by Westbrook Service Corporation of Orlando, one of eight companies that bid on the contract. Once the company receives the purchase order from the county, the project is expected to take approximately 130 days to complete.