Jail repairs on track

Repairs at the Hernando County Jail are proceeding on schedule, with county commissioners expected to get a fuller briefing on costs and timetables later this week.

County commissioners committed to spending no more than the $3 million they set aside in reserves to fix some of the more pressing problems at the 23-year-old facility.

Those repairs, outlined by an engineering firm's report, include modifications to the plumbing and electrical systems, heating-air conditioning, electronic and life-safety alterations.

Commissioners are also awaiting requests from bidders to complete a standalone medical facility on-site, which should address space needs. That facility is estimated to cost no more than $1.5 million.

In February, commissioners voted unanimously to spend up to half of the $3 million on that medical facility.

County Commissioner Jim Adkins said he is scheduled to meet with county facilities director Craig Becker Wednesday to get a full update on the jail progress.

County Commissioner Dave Russell said repairs are continuing and the county is expected to save in excess of $1 million the first of operations since the sheriff took over operations from Corrections Corporation of America.

Last September, tempers flared during a lengthy county commission meeting when they learned that a preliminary engineering report showing the cost of repairs to the Hernando County Jail would cost $14.9 million.

Commissioners agreed the county is in no position to spend that much on such an aged facility.

That estimate, obtained from an engineering report, came back five times the $3 million county commissioners had set aside in reserves to pay for expected repairs.

"There's no way we're going to spend $14.9 million," Commissioner Jim Adkins said at the time. "We don't have it and we're not going to."

Instead, commissioners authorized staff to solicit bids and quotes to accomplish various repairs needed at the jail, not to exceed $907,420.

Last year, then-sheriff Richard Nugent dropped a bombshell on the county when he announced the Hernando County jail, then run by CCA, was in a terrible state of disrepair and estimated repairs could cost in the millions.

In a slide presentation, Nugent showed roof leaks, rusted doors, safety problems, cracks and separations on the concrete floor, walls and ceiling.

Conditions were so bad at the jail that it was doubtful the facility could stand long-term use, former clerk of the court purchasing consultant Lisa Hammond said in March.