Codington County Approves Rent Increase for Coroner Facility Cooling Upgrades in Watertown

Steve Jurrens
14 hours ago
2 min read

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Northeast Radio SD News – Watertown, SD - The Codington County Commissioners voted unanimously Sept. 1 to approve an amended rental agreement for the county coroner’s facility after high summer temperatures forced equipment additions to maintain required cooling levels.

The amended month-to-month agreement with COKO Properties and Crawford-Osthus Funeral Chapel increases the county’s monthly rent from $250 to $350, effective Sept. 1.

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Equipment Adjustments and Cost Comparison

Codington County Coroner Terry Sorensen presented the request to the board, explaining that high ambient temperatures in the rented garage space rendered the existing storage cooler ineffective.

“My cooler is no longer working, so we had to add an air conditioner and a fan, and we finally got it down to where we can use it,” Sorensen said. “So he wants to raise the rent from $250 a month to $350 a month starting September 1st because of the air conditioner. So at this point, I have no other choice.”

Sorensen reviewed alternatives before recommending the rent adjustment to cover the additional electrical usage.

“I looked at replacing the cooling system that’s on the cooler, and it was $6,500,” Sorensen told the board. “So this is the best choice for the county. So it’s going to cost us $100 a month more, but it’s better than $6,500 just to replace something that we just need to add some cool air to.”

Temperature Drop and Budget Impact

The property owner purchased and installed the air conditioner, while Sorensen acquired an additional fan to blow heat off the cooling system. The adjustments successfully lowered the facility’s internal temperature from 70 degrees down to 36 degrees.

Sorensen confirmed to commissioners that his existing department budget for the current calendar year has sufficient funds to absorb the $100 monthly increase.

Commissioner Tyler McElhany moved to authorize Chair Troy VanDusen to sign the amended lease agreement. The motion was seconded by Vice Chairman Randy Schweer and passed unanimously.