As expected, the Reno County Commission declined to spend well over a million additional dollars to install a GEO-Thermal Unit when the new county jail is built.

Commission Chair Dan Deming called it a “green gamble.” They just couldn’t justify spending the additional money when there’s no way of knowing how far out the pay-back would be, plus what energy savings it would really provide. It appears that it wouldn’t help that much.

Although there are some contingency dollars the county could use which would cut the cost down some, County Administrator Gary Meagher had told the commission earlier that some of those dollars may be needed for others things in regards to the jail.

All three commissioners indicated they didn’t see the need to spend the additional dollars.