The first phase of construction has begun on the new jail trusty housing facility on Houston Street, across from Hopkins County Law Enforcement Center which houses the current jail and sheriff’s office.
Hopkins County Commissioners Court, the sheriff, chief deputy and jail administrator met with SEDALCO Construction Services Superintendent Brad Huber, Project Manager Will Burgess, Wayne Gondeck with DRG Architects, and other members of the project team, most of whom joined in via Zoom, to discuss progress, get some clarification for some items for construction of the facility.
Huber reported so far the focus has been on earthwork and public safety. County officials who visit the site are asked to check in at the construction trailer with the supervisor so he can provide them with a hard hat, then walk with them safely through the site, and discuss or answer any questions they may have.
A few changes were made to the plan, and a different contractor was brought in after it was learned the original contractor would not be able to start work until this week because their workers are already committed to other projects; that would push the start back three to four weeks on what is projected to be an 11 month job. With the rainy season coming in the next couple of months and potential for extreme cold through at least February, getting earth work started as soon as possible was determined to be an important part of getting the project finished on time and within budget.
A few small changes discovered included addition of a bullet resistant panel from the lead in door, an accessible bench, and a plumbing fixture had to be relocated.
Equipment and utilities equipment are being moved in. Sand bags have been ordered to hold down appropriate signage, which will be placed in the area. A dumpster is scheduled for order from the city. While the construction trailer is in place, SEDALCO officials said they are still waiting for the Internet and have yet to get a copier set up. A fence is planned to go up around three-fourths of the project, designating the work area for approved personnel as a means to help keep the public safe from walking onto the site.
Crews have begun site work, and have completed about 75% of the sanitary and sewer work, including putting in two concrete manholes.
Sewer and sanitation lines on the west side of the facility has been put on hold temporarily because of how close it is to the are where workers are back filling the foundation.
Currently, workers are building the pad on which the foundation for the new trustee housing facility will be placed. The work involves select fill — digging out where the foundation will go and filling the area back up with a layer of select preferred dirt. The subgrade is being compacted, passing the test Monday to bring in the select fill in order to provide a better base upon which to pour the foundation.
County Commissioners plan to bring in equipment to remove the dirt pile themselves, and potentially use the soil elsewhere. This will save on trucking cost for a contractor to remove the dirt a truck load at a time and haul it elsewhere.
Additional discussion focused on fencing, particularly around a retention wall and detention pond, and signage. Sheriff Lewis Tatum said metal lockers were not needed in the bunk area for inmates to use. Jail Administrator Kenneth Dean explained ail trusties receive two containers to put their personal property in. Shelving to put boots and other gear the inmates would normally acquire in the sally port can be added later, potentially using the wood shop to have the inmates build their own shelving, Chief Deputy Tanner Crump added. The sheriff’s office officials noted plastic tables would suffice instead of metal tables, as the facility is designed as a low risk jail housing unit. The vendor selected to install the jail phone system and video visitation will put in that cable.
The county officials and construction team plan to meet every 2 weeks.
In November, the Commissioners Court approved a guaranteed maximum price contract for $4,799,477 for a 48-bed trusty facility, which is still within the $4.9 million budget for the project. Funding for the building comes from the $7 million allocated to Hopkins County in American Rescue Plan funding to construct a building to house male inmates who have been designated as trusties, and as such go out into the community to work daily, including on precinct crews, at schools, the Civic Center and other locations.
The trusty facility would better segregate the inmate trusties from the general inmate population at Hopkins County jail when they return from their work details. The county officials contend the measure should help reduce potential spread of COVID or other infectious illnesses from trusties who are out in the public or working alongside those who are around others in public, where they could be potentially exposed to illnesses.
By doing so, the county would be meeting the “response to COVID pandemic for public health and the health of the general inmate population of the Hopkins County jail,” an allowable use under the ARP guidelines, county officials said.
