Commissioners work to reopen west wing of county jail – Commerce Journal

Rockwall County commissioners have taken another step to deal with issues that shut down the west wing of the Rockwall County Detention Center about six months ago.

County Judge David Sweet and commissioners Cliff Sevier and Lee Gilbert the only members of the court present for the Tuesday meeting voted to seek bids for a mold remediation project and HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) replacement in the wing.

Mold in ductwork forced closure of the detention centers west wing about six months ago. The west wing normally houses 48 prisoners. Inmates have been transferred to Henderson County jail facilities on an as needed or overflow basis.

County Auditor Lisa Constant Wyle told commissioners Tuesday that an architect hired by the county had drawn up documents for the bids process.

County Maintenance Director Barry Compton is hopeful that going out for separate bids will work best from a time standpoint.

He told commissioners of how he would like both projects to flow:

It looks like what were going to hopefully be able to do is have the HVAC contractor do the demolition they need to do and in the time frame theyre waiting for their equipment it should be ordered when we give them the go-ahead therell be a window there while theyre waiting on equipment. That window is when we do the mold remediation and, hopefully, by the time thats done, we have HVAC equipment to have installed.

He also told commissioners about plans for better exhaust fans to test for humidity.

The better design, he said, involves exhaust fans bringing in fresh air and taking air out, which is why we had the mold issue, according to the reports.

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Commissioners work to reopen west wing of county jail - Commerce Journal