COMMISSIONERS: WASHINGTON CO. JAIL GENERATOR SHOULD BE INSTALLED, TESTED BY FEB. 16
The effort to secure a generator for the Washington County Jail could hopefully be wrapping up soon.
Sheriff's Office.
(Tom Whitehead)
Last week, county officials met with the contractor for the project, W-Industries, to get an updated timeline.
Washington County Commissioner Dustin Majewski told KWHI that it turned out to be a “great discussion.” Majewski and Commissioner Kirk Hanath said the generator should be at the jail, installed and tested to make sure it is working as it should be by Friday, February 16th.
The generator project has faced numerous setbacks over the past few years, ranging from supply chain issues, to changes in the size of the generator requested, to the lengthy process involved with obtaining American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to pay for the generator.
In the meantime, the county has been renting a temporary generator for the jail. According to County Auditor Shawna Hollis, since January 2022, the county has paid $155,537 in generator rental payments to Flying V Rentals, using Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act funds. Hanath said the inability to purchase the generator outright from the rental company was an extra hurdle.
The pad site and utility work at the sheriff’s office are complete and ready for the generator once it arrives.
Hanath said this project has been an extremely frustrating process and that once it is all done, “the nightmare will be over.” He added that should further complications arise to where the February 16th date cannot be met, the county has contingencies in writing to where it can hold back final payment.
You guys could be poster children for how to be ineffective and inefficient should had that project done years ago.