The Marshall County Commissioners held a work session Monday morning to discuss repairs at the Marshall County Jail.
In a previous meeting, the commissioners opened consulting proposals from Jones Petrie and Rafinski (JPR) and DLZ. JPR submitted a quote of $69,525 for analysis of the repairs needed, design, bidding and construction inspection, which does not include getting a contractor to make the repairs. DLZ provided a quote of $14,522.50 for assessment of repair and restoration. There will be added costs to design repairs and the bidding process, and construction inspection.
County Attorney Jim Clevenger stated that he was not sure the proposals were clear enough to determine costs in the assessment and the process in general for the commissioners to draw a conclusion of which company to choose in order move forward with any rehabilitative action.
Jail Maintenance Director John Greer said some exterior work is needed to address concrete wall cracks, and there are windows over the 911 Dispatch Center that were not installed properly causing issues. They will likely need to be removed or covered to solve problems. Greer stated no answers have been given to him as the commissioners apparently need to move forward to get answers.
Greer believes the cracks in the concrete are the major issue at this point, although it is not an immediate concern. He noted that the cracks in the concrete do not affect the interior of the jail. He anticipates that any repairs will probably not be done until Spring 2025.
“It’s not falling down,” said Greer. “We have time to take a breath and do it right.”
In order to get a better idea of what the two engineering companies are looking at in this project and to get a more pinpointed cost, the commissioners asked Clevenger to notify JPR and DLZ so they can hold separate interviews with the representatives to make a more informed decision. Those interviews are anticipated to be done in work sessions tentatively scheduled at 1 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. ET Monday, May 20.
