Morris County plans to spend $8.5 million for building renovations, road repairs and heating and air conditioning work at the County College of Morris as part of a $25.2 million capital spending plan for the new year.

The freeholders approved the CCM spending last Wednesday after a public hearing. The work includes $3 million for renovations to roads, walkways, parking lots and retaining walls, $2 million for lighting improvements, $1 million for academic building modifications and $3 million for heating and air conditioning system repairs.

This spending is part of the county's overall capital budget for the year. The plan does not allocate funds, but creates a schedule for projects, said Mary Jo Buchanan, the assistant county administrator. Each spending item must be approved individually by ordinance by the Morris County freeholders.

“These  are the major needs,” Buchannan said.

The plan does meet the target of an annual capital budget of $25 million, according to Buchanan. The largest single item is for road and bridge design and repairs, at an estimated $9.5 million.

To help pay for the work, the county anticipates using $4 million in general state aid and $4.25 million in state Chapter 12 aid for the county college.

Morris County, whose annual budget for 2011 was $313 million, plans capital spending for large long-term projects over a six-year span. From 2012-to-2017, the county is planning a total of $185.6 million in capital projects.

Freeholder Ann Grossi, a member of the board’s budget subcommittee, said that she toured many of the county buildings when she saw the capital plan included windows, carpets and furniture. She saw that the windows needed replacing, the carpets were worn and unsafe and the furniture was falling apart.

“These items need to be replaced,” she said.

Many of the items in the capital plan address roofing and heating and air conditioning system repairs, building structures, and projects that address public safety or are required under state regulations.

In addition to the work at CCM, here is a breakdown of projects by department:

Sheriff: $225,000 for replacement of three vehicles and purchase of a mobile digital recording system for documentation of contact with the public, prisoner activity during transport and emergency situation.

Prosecutor: $195,000 for replacement of 25-30 year old furniture and storage.

Information Services: $1.3 million for replacement and upgrading of various computers, servers, and networking systems.

Morris View Healthcare Center: $585,000 for replacement of a cooling tower, automatic sliding doors, upgrade to the nurse call system and elevator improvements.

Public works, buildings and grounds: $2.1 million for assorted repairs to fences, doors, sidewalks, heating systems, roofs, elevators and plumbing. The largest item is $850,000 for courthouse asbestos abatement work tied to a state Superior Court project. That project is included in the county’s capital plan for annual work through 2016.

Public works, engineering: $4.2 million. The largest item is $3.5 million for continued development of the athletic fields at Central Park of Morris County in Parsippany, including the addition of turf fields. The county has transformed a section of the of the Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital into a park that features passive recreation, and facilities for cross county running, ice and roller skating and a Miracle Field for handicapped athletes. The engineering plan also includes $250,000 for the Jackson Brook storm water management plan, a joint effort of four municipalities, the county and state and federal governments to slow  flooding in the watershed that feeds the Rockaway River in Dover.

Morris County School of Technology, $1.9 million for roof repairs and replacement, parking lot repaving, ventilation upgrades and fire panel upgrades.