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Engineer reports on condition of county jail


Walworth County Commissioners heard an engineer’s report on the condition of the Walworth County Jail Tuesday, Aug. 18, that concluded the 1909 structure was in poor structural condition.
An engineer from Solien and Larson Engineering, P.C. of Fargo, N.D. visually inspected the three sections of the jail; the original structure, the 1999 addition and the garage.
The report was based on a walk-through inspection and no structural testing was conducted. The report stated no physical testing or calculations were run to determine the structural integrity of the building.
The report states the original facility is in poor condition. Brick and mortar joints were considered in very poor condition.
There is loose roof material visible on the south side of the building and water damage to both the interior and exterior of the building. There are also problems with the concrete foundation, which has a crumbling issue.
The report states that the windows are non-functional and not weather tight. There is also a serious settlement issue in both the old building and the addition.
In the newer section of the building, the report states the exterior of the building is in good condition, but there are problems with the interior.
Those include water leakage, masonary cracking, gaps between intersecting walls and settling cracking.
The report noted the doors had to be modified in order to work properly.
The garage issues noted were the leaking roof and overhead door operation.

Conclusion
The report states lack of maintenance and timely repairs could be partially the reason, but the main reason is the age of the building. The structural renovation would be extensive if the building would be brought up to current codes.
The engineer reported in his opinion it was not economically feasible to do this work.
The new addition is in better shape and the sinking issue seems to be a soil issue. This has probably runs its course, according to the engineer.
The engineer report states the garage problems are caused by the roof leaking and could be fixed.

Discussion
In the discussion that followed the report, options for what to do about the jail were reviewed.
Those options included making repairs, building a new facility, and closing the jail altogether and housing prisoners elsewhere. It was also discussed that the courthouse is in need of major repairs and may need to be replaced in the near future. Replacing all of the facilities at one time was one option discussed.
Commissioners also brought up the idea of forming a committee of county residents to review the options, make suggestions and bring their findings to the commission.
No action was taken on this issue.

Insurance
Jerry Krambeck of the South Dakota Public Insurance Alliance held a conference call with commissioners to discuss the use of county property by employees after working hours.
He told the commission that any use of county-owned property after hours should not occur. That discussion included the use of the county shop during Achievement Days activities. Krambeck told the commission no non-employee of the county should be on the grounds during off-hours.
After the call, commissioners decided employees can no longer use the shop or the county’s tools to work on personal vehicles and further discussion about Achievement Day activities is warranted.

In other business the Walworth County Commission:
• Tabled making a decision on the four bids for the security camera system in the jail until the specs in those bids were reviewed at the request of County Assistant Ryan Badten. Those bids were as follows: Intregrated Technical Security of Lennox, $51,848; Eagle Eye Security, Glenham, $54,900; Dakota Security, Sioux Falls, $58,403 and Imberi Security, Mobridge, $68,900.
• Rescinded a motion to reject gravel crushing bids and awarded the bid to Morris Incorporated after a discussion on the work Morris did on a culvert project for the county. It was discovered through that discussion that Morris did the work on the culvert project as was instructed by the engineer and it was not the fault of the company that the culvert failed.
• Approved purchasing in 2016 a motor grader for the Walworth County Highway Department for $279,799 through a Beadle County bid.
• Approved the resignation of Darren Van Wall in the highway department. His position will be filled from within and advertising to fill another position was also approved.
• Heard Walworth County Landfill Supervisor Ryan Badten report he would be purchasing three recycling containers, two to be placed in Mobridge and one in Selby. He is still formulating a plan for recycling and will present it to the commission when completed.
• Declared a lot in Java owned by the county as surplus and it will be sold at public auction.
• Heard Brenda DeToy of the Walworth County Extension Office report the youth advisor position has not yet been filled and approved continued advertising until it is filled.
• Approved the resignation of jailer Joshua Moss and the hiring of Tammy Richards as a full-time jailer at $13.71 per hour.
– Katie Zerr –

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