Commissioners approve jail architectural contract

0

The Fayette County Commissioners approved a resolution Monday authorizing a contract with Shremshock Architects, Inc.

Following discussions with Shremshock over the past few weeks, the Fayette County Commissioners authorized a contract for architectural engineering and consulting services for a new adult detention facility. The commissioners were excited about signing the contract, but said they know they have a long way to go with the project. Commissioner Tony Anderson said that as much as the jail has been openly discussed, and many in the community feel it is a necessity, when it comes to a ballot levy issue that is when he said the project will become real for a lot of people.

“We need to get through some of the financing aspects of the project before we really get involved in the cheerleading,” Anderson said. “We want to feel like the public can trust that we are doing the right thing. Trust is the biggest aspect of anything public officials do. Anytime you are putting 90 people in a 24-person capacity jail, and I was told this when I first started as a commissioner, you are just 25 cents away from a major lawsuit for not being able to care for those you bring in custody. That has been 15 or 16 years now.”

The commissioners said they have heard many positive opinions on the idea of a new jail. Commissioner chairman Dan Dean said that the three of them wanted to ensure what the costs associated with the construction would be, how large of a jail the county would need, and how best to design the jail to ensure the staff with the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office would have needs, and even a few wants, met.

The architectural firm will be conducting a needs assessment for the proposed facility in the near future.

Other new business items on the agenda included: the establishment of MHIC Medicaid Sales Tax Transition Fund; a resolution to reclassify Ethanol Plant TIF and Meerland Dairy TIF funds from special assessment funds to capital project funds; the commissioners received statements of qualifications from architectural and engineering services; the trio confirmed the deed of gift from Four Daughters LLC as part of the land transferred to the Fayette County Parks District; and they approved a renewal for a superior dental and employee elective dental plan.

Check with the Record-Herald weekly for updates on the Fayette County Commissioners.

http://www.recordherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2017/09/web1_Union-1.jpg

By Martin Graham

[email protected]

Reach Martin Graham at (740) 313-0351 or on Twitter @MartiTheNewsGuy

No posts to display