Deschutes County Health offices closed through Friday
(Update: Offices now closed through Friday)
The Deschutes County Health Services main office in northeast Bend, closed for air quality testing, now will be closed an extra day, through Friday, officials said Wednesday.
The county closed the building earlier this week for the testing, which had been expected to be concluded by Thursday.
Clients who have appointments at the Health Department’s Courtney location will be contacted to reschedule or with instructions if the appointment is being moved to another location. Employees who normally work in the Courtney building are working from other locations and all other Health Services locations are open for regularly scheduled hours.
Clients can contact Health Services by calling (541) 322-7500 for behavioral health and (541) 322-7400 for public health during business hours, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
County Facilities Manager Lee Randall said they decided to leave air quality sensors in place for another day, to have a better cross-section of what’s happening.
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Earlier story:
The Deschutes County Health Services main office building in northeast Bend, which was closed for several days two months ago due to reported natural gas odors, will be closed again for the next three days for another round of air quality testing, officials said Sunday.
The facility on Northeast Courtney Drive is expected to reopen Thursday.
“The county is working with an air quality testing firm to conduct further evaluation of air quality in the building,” the announcement said.
Officials said clients who have appointments at the department’s Courtney Drive location will be contacted to reschedule or with instructions if the appointment is being moved to another location.
All other Health Services locations are open for regularly scheduled hours.
Clients can contact Health Services by calling 541-322-7500 for behavioral health and 541-322-7400 for public health during business hours, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The building was closed in early March amid heavy snowfall after workers reported strong odors, possibly of natural gas. The county worked with an air quality testing firm, a mechanical engineer and the Bend Fire Department to evaluate the building’s air quality and inspect the building’s heating, cooling, ventilation and air conditioning system.
As a result of the evaluation, the county said at the time it modified that system and removed snow from the roof. It also accelerated plans to replace the HVAC system, a project initially scheduled for next year.
County Facilities Director Lee Randall said Sunday that the 140 people who usually work in the 22-year-old, two-story building instead will be working out of other locations until the expected reopening Thursday.
Randall said this time, the closure is not due to odor complaints from building employees or visitors.
Instead, he explained that during the installation of a new carbon monoxide alarm system, the initial readings late last week, though not high enough to trigger an alarm, were “inconsistent,” so the workers will be moved elsewhere for a few days out of “an abundance of caution.”
A different type of testing is planned using data-logging sensors that can take readings over a period of time, rather than just a point-in-time ambient reading. Testing is again planned for a variety of possible air quality issues, not just natural gas or carbon monoxide but things like volatile organic compounds.
Randall said the county also is weighing a couple of options for the building’s new HVAC system in an effort to ensure that no future issues arise. It has again contracted with a mechanical engineering firm to evaluate the building and options.
“For instance, instead of rooftop (HVAC) units that have both combustion and air intake as part of the same unit, we’re looking at being able to separate those completely, as we have a lot of other buildings,” Randall said.
