County moves forward with jail HVAC system

Thursday, August 23, 2018

Assistant Editor

Several months of keeping the Putnam County Jail air-handling system running with no room for error could soon be at an end for jail custodian Tom Gilson.

Earlier this week, the Putnam County Commissioners and Putnam County Council approved moving forward with a $104,000 plan to install a new HVAC system in the jail.

The county received three bids on the project. Acting on the advice of Putnam County Sheriff’s Department officials, the commissioners did not choose the lowest bid.

Commissioner Rick Woodall noted the large gap in prices when the recommendation was made.

“If all three of these are the same exact items, why are we wanting to spend $32,000 more?” Woodall asked.

While Enviromax submitted a bid for $72,000, it was noted that the bid reused wiring from the old system.

Gilson also noted that JMI Mechanical, which submitted $104,000 bid, is a longer-standing company that he trusts will be around for the county’s future needs.

The third proposal, for $109,400, came from Peine Engineering.

The need for an entirely new system seemed to sway the commissioners.

“If we’re going to spend that kind of money,” Commissioner David Berry said, “I’d just as soon get all new wiring.”

In thanking the commissioners for making a decision, Sheriff Scott Stockton noted that there is no backup and windows cannot be opened in the jail. This means a failure of the aging system would lead to extreme heat (or cold) for the prisoners and open the county to potential lawsuits.

With commissioner approval, the matter moved on to the Putnam County Council for funding.

While the Cumulative Jail fund currently has about a $90,000 balance that could cover the bulk of the work, officials noted that the fund has taken quite a hit with recent work on both the jail roof and the central control panel.

Instead, the money will be drawn from two sources — $50,000 from the sheriff’s department Misdemeanant Fund and the other $54,000 from the Economic Development Income Tax Warchest.

While the council tentatively approved the funding, the additional appropriations will still have to be advertised, with an official decision coming in September.

In other business:

• The county council passed a resolution confirming interest in the property at 93 Keightly Road, immediately west of the Putnam County Jail.

While the resolution does not mean the county is going to purchase the land, it paves the way for the commissioners to seek appraisals.

• Both the commissioners and council agreed to a 2019 commitment to West Central Solid Waste.

At $1.50 per person, the fee is $56,945 to the three-county cooperative effort that also includes Parke and Montgomery counties.

The county currently has a $191,000 credit with the district, so the commitment has no budgetary impact.

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