By HOLLY GASKILL
After months of ongoing conversation about the unfinished work at the Wells County Jail, the County Commissioners came to a compromise with Ameresco, the group in charge of the work, on Monday.
The county has agreed to withhold $40,000 from the final $134,830 payment, invoiced in December. The withheld amount will act as a retainer for the final large item of the project — regulating HVAC in the administrative portion of the jail.
According to Ameresco senior project developer Brad Driver, issues with subcontractors have contributed to the delay in closing the project, which was supposed to wrap over a year ago. However, he said the HVAC issue can only be resolved during warm summer weather.
Driver first approached the commissioners about final payment at their Feb. 5 meeting, but the commissioners were expressly against paying the full amount due to the incomplete work. Having discussed the matter further with Ameresco and County Attorney Ted Storer, the commissioners unanimously approved the $94,830 payment.
Driver also reminded the board that Ameresco would continue to provide support to the jail for their 20-year contract for energy savings.
Also Monday, Highway Supervisor Shawn Bonar advised there are a number of items to be resolved with the new highway building. Bonar stated the building had received a violation for its emergency lighting, and they had 30 days to resolve the issue. Additionally, there were multiple outdoor lighting packs not working, office spaces without working heat, and issues with the pressure washer, among other items.
“It’s going to be the same as the jail — it’s not complete until it’s complete,” said Commissioner Jeff Stringer.
Even so, Bonar found the transition a net positive experience for the department.
“We’re almost to the finish line. We’ll keep our heads up,” concluded Stringer.
Bonar said they have moved most items into the new building, and the old highway garage property will go to auction on April 9.
As for the jail, Sheriff Scott Holliday reported 77 inmates were being housed in the building on Monday, and this number dropped to 76 in a report to the Wells County Council on Tuesday. Of the 76 inmates, 40 were pre-trial holds for the Wells County Circuit Court, 22 pre-trial holds for the Superior Court and nine from the Department of Correction.
holly@news-banner.com
