CHAMBERS COUNTY — At their meeting Monday night, the Chambers County Commission voted unanimously to work with Schneider Electric — a nationwide energy management company — to improve energy efficiency county wide.

“The subject plan would involve making the facilities that the county owns more energy efficient,” said County Attorney Skip McCoy. “The plan would call for a redoing of all the LED lighting inside and outside of the facilities, it would involve taking the windows and making them more energy efficient, making doors more conservative with energy and would also involve the addition of HVAC systems.”

The project will cost the county $1.7 million but will create a 20 year savings of $2.6 million, equaling $133,000 a year in energy savings. Those savings are guaranteed by Schneider, meaning that in the event that the county saves any less than that amount, Schneider would pay the difference.

“It’s been great working with you all over the last couple years in putting this together,” said Kyle Keith of Schneider Electric. “We have worked with many counties and many school systems around the state, we have a long-standing relationship with your local school system, so we look forward to moving into this next phase with you.”

Also at Monday’s meeting was the approval of upgrades for the James C. Morgan Detention Facility security system before its renovation.

“We did our best to try and avoid replacing this system in hopes that it could be done within the construction project later on, but we have taken it to the edge of its life,” said Chambers County Assistant Jail Administrator Major Mike Parrish.

A call for bids to implement a new security system for the jail went out across state, and two companies put in their quotes. DPS Group, LLC  — an electrical security company out of Montgomery — offered the lower bid of $234,799. With a recommendation from Parrish to implement it, the commission voted unanimously in favor of doing so.

In other actions, Commissioner Eastridge and the rest of the commission appointed Commissioner Bradford to serve on the Legislative Committee with the Association of County Commissions of Alabama, representing Chambers County.

“We encouraged him to do it and Mr. Bradford accepted the challenge and has done an outstanding job,” Eastridge said. “He has kept us well informed on a regular basis and I’d just like to pat him on the back and tell him that I appreciate him so much.”

Bradford thanked the commission and shared his thoughts on the ACCA.

“To get things done in Montgomery you’ve got to communicate, you’ve got to listen and you have to build relationships,” Bradford said. “I encourage us as commissioners and you as citizens to do that also.”

The next Chambers County Commission meeting will be held Monday, June 18.