Smith County approves jail generator replacement contract

Published 5:35 am Thursday, December 19, 2024

The Smith County Commissioners Court approved bonds for elected officials, a contract for replacing a jail generator replacement and a partnership for disaster preparedness at its meeting Dec. 17.

The court approved four bonds regarding elected officials including, Tax Assessor/Collector Gary Barber, Constable Precinct 1 Ralph Caraway, Jr., incoming Commissioners Precinct 1 Christina Drewry and Precinct 3 J. Scott Herod.

The county also awarded a contract for the North Jail Generator Replacement project, using funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The approved bid of $427,036 was awarded to Drewery Construction.

“The generators out there right now are very small. It only operates life safety things, some lights, a few receptacles, no heating or HVAC,” Facility Services Director Ed Nichols said.

There have been multiple instances where severe weather forced the facility to shut down, particularly during ice storms. At those times, the facility had no heat, and the sheriff’s department scrambled to find ways to keep inmates warm. Moving inmates wasn’t an option, as icy and unsafe road conditions made transportation impossible.

This summer, storms brought another challenge, knocking down power lines and leaving the facility without air conditioning. Downed trees blocking roadways again made transportation impossible.

“This is going to be a big improvement for the facility. I think it will help the county in the long run, in case of future emergencies,” Nichols said. “It’ll be well worth spending this money.”

County Judge Neal Franklin acknowledged generators might not be the most exciting topic to the public, but said he was thrilled to learn the replacement was moving forward.

“We can’t go without heat or air [conditioning] at that jail, both for the inmates and the employees. We had to solve that,” Franklin said.

The new generators will likely be dual-fuel, running primarily on natural gas with propane as a secondary fuel source. While the secondary source has limited runtime, it will utilize the existing 500-gallon tank. The current generator produces 35 kilowatts, but the replacement will significantly increase capacity to 350 kilowatts.

The court approved a change order presented by County Engineer Frank Davis with Bartlett & West, Inc., in the amount of $19,877.

The original contract, valued at $306,013, provided engineering services for bridge improvements at CR 1139 at Indian Creek and CR 431 (Old Mineola Highway) at Duck Creek. This change order separates the bridge plans into two contract packages, updates the project plans and specifications and revises construction cost estimates. The revised contract totals $325,891.

The court approved a second change order for the Road and Bridge Department’s fuel facility improvements, which is being built by SCI Construction. This change order covered the costs to upgrade the fuel facility with new inventory software, including materials, labor and additional expenses. The original contract amount was $743,336.72, with the change order the total contract increased to $771,207.57.

The additional $27,870.85 for this change order was funded through ARPA funds.

The court has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Smith County Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) for the management and execution of the CERT Program.

The CERT program trains volunteers in disaster preparedness for local hazards. It provides a standardized, nationwide framework for volunteer training and organization, ensuring professional responders can rely on these teams during emergencies.

This structure allows first responders to focus on more complex tasks, knowing that CERT volunteers are equipped to handle immediate needs.

After an executive session, the court approved the Smith County Intra-Agency Memorandum of Understanding for the expenditure of ARPA funds on projects, including Facilities Services improvements and Animal Shelter construction.

The court also approved an amendment to the Subrecipient Agreement between Smith County and the East Texas Municipal Utility District (ETMUD).

In other business:

• The court approved East Texas Testing Labs Engineers and Consultants, Inc. to provide construction materials testing and inspection services for quality control of road improvements to E. Centennial Boulevard. The total amount of the agreement is $35,000, with funding coming from the FY25 Road & Bridge Department annual budget.

• The court accepted the completion of roadway improvements to CR 2203 and CR 2337, as performed by A. E. Shull & Company. The contract was originally awarded in the bid amount of $504,079.00. The final construction cost totaled $523,369.55, resulting in an overrun of $19,290.55. Paving improvements were made to 1.519 miles of county roadways.