Coronavirus safety improvements on track at St. Joseph County Jail – South Bend Tribune

SOUTH BEND Coronavirus-related safety improvements paid for with federal pandemic relief dollars should be done at the county jail before the end of the year.

Renovations could begin in about a week, and although the work will cause some disruption, Sheriff Bill Redman said it will be worth it because the last thing we want is an outbreak of COVID inside our walls here.

The St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved awarding a bid Tuesday to Ziolkowski Construction, of South Bend, to do the work for $837,000. It was the lowest of three bids received.

Jail renovations are aimed at keeping staff, visitors and inmates safe from the spread of the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19. Work will include remodeling a visitation area, training area and breakroom, and modifications to the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system in the medical wing.

Since the pandemic began, the sheriffs department has had 11 inmates and eight staff members, including corrections and police officers, test positive for the virus, Redman said. He credited strict safety protocols with the relatively small numbers but said renovations will make it easier to keep people separated and limit contact. More video courtrooms also will reduce the need to transport inmates to the courthouse.

The jail has had a lower than normal inmate population since last spring because judges and prosecutors are allowing some nonviolent offenders not to be jailed, which also helps curb spread of the virus in the jail, Redman said. Currently, the daily inmate population is between 520 and 530 when ordinarily it might be between 600 and 700, he said.

Separate, planned technology improvements are coinciding with the renovations that will offer video visitation for inmates, which will also boost virus safety, according to Redman.

In September, commissioners unanimously approved an agreement of between $2 million and $2.5 million with South Bend engineering and design firm DLZ to oversee the jail remodeling project. They also OKd another agreement with DLZ for $125,000 to study at least 18 other county buildings and make recommendations for coronavirus-related safety improvements. At the time, commissioner Dave Thomas, Democrat, District 2, said he was not a fan of no-bid contracts, but thought DLZs knowledge of county properties would help expedite the work.

St. Joseph County received $8.7 million in federal coronavirus relief funding, or CARES Act money, which is supposed to be used before next year for expenses related to the pandemic.

Commissioners were enthusiastic about the use of coronavirus money for the jail and commended the work people put in to fast-track the plan.

A project that normally might take a year or longer came together in three or four months, Board of Commissioners President Andy Kostielney, Republican, District 1, said.

Commissioners attorney Jamie Woods noted that despite emergency circumstances that would have allowed the board to award construction to a chosen vendor, commissioners sought bids in an open and fair process.

Coronavirus funding also is covering $2 million for testing and other projects by the health department; $110,000 for bathroom renovations at highway garages; $540,000 in employee hazard pay if eligible; and materials such as masks, sanitizer, gloves and hard plastic barriers. About $6.7 million of the grant had been committed as of September, according to the county auditors office.

Additional CARES Act money was received separately by some departments. The health department, for example, received $462,000 for information technology expenses and $300,000 to set up additional COVID-19 testing sites.

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Coronavirus safety improvements on track at St. Joseph County Jail - South Bend Tribune