County jail upgrade project could start in August

The McLeod County Board passed a resolution Tuesday (April 22) “declaring an emergency” in the county.

There’s no need to panic, as the state-required resolution is merely meant to authorize the start of a jail retrofitting and energy conservation improvement project.

The resolution, in part, declares the project “an emergency measure necessary for the immediate preservation of public peace, health, safety and welfare …”

The work will ensure the County Jail remains certified by the state Department of Corrections and will result in reduced energy and operating costs over time.

State-mandated upgrades will cost $874,604. Energy efficiency upgrades will cost $405,516. Project management and engineering will cost $168,150. For security reasons, all inmates will be boarded out for 60 days during the time workers are performing the upgrades. Boarding costs are estimated at $117,650, bringing the total expected project cost to $1.57 million.

Jim Werket, of Honeywell’s automation and control solutions group, said the goal is start boarding out sometime between Aug. 1 and Aug. 10. Prior to that, preparations will take place over two months. “Once board-out happens,” he said, “we’ll get in there and go nonstop.”

The majority of workers and suppliers will be local, many of whom have existing relationships with the county. “When they know the facility,” Werket said, “the costs are lower.”

(Jorge Sosa is a staff writer for the Hutchinson Leader. He can be reached at sosa@hutchinsonleader.com)