Bell County's Loop Jail expansion project has been delayed again, costing the county $334,315.23.
The Bell County Magistrate's Court heard new change orders for a project to renovate the jail's kitchen.
Commissioner Russell Schneider explained during Monday's meeting that after further inspection, the original prison kitchen will need to be completely replaced.
“Some of the pipes melted, and we ended up having to remove the entire existing kitchen floor, remove all of the existing plumbing and basically start that area over again,” Schneider said.
Schneider confirmed that the funds will allow for a complete replacement of the underfloor PVC piping with cast iron piping.
“This is a pretty big scope change because all of the slabs are inside the prison. It's not like we're tearing down a patio on the outside of a house, so it's a big job,” Commissioner Bill Shuman said.
The replacement is expected to take two to three months.
Commissioners agreed the project was needed and voted 4-0 to approve it. County Judge David Blackburn was absent.
During a meeting with staff, project director Phil Goodwill acknowledged new change orders would be needed for the prison's current temporary kitchen.
The temporary kitchen has been up and running since January, but Goodwill said rising gas prices have meant it would have to increase leases to continue alongside the kitchen project.
Americans with Disabilities Act Settlement
Commissioners considered allowing counties to enter into settlement agreements to comply with implementing regulations of Title II of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
Article 2 states that persons with disabilities must be protected from discrimination in services, programs, and activities provided by local governments.
Details of the settlement were unclear because commissioners met in closed session for about an hour before the proposal was submitted to court.
Temple resident Lori Broughton spoke during the public comment period and said the settlement is about election venues.
“The courts should raise the bar on public services and public means for all Bell County residents,” Broughton said. “If you are not and can't be the public servants we need, why are you here? Thirteen of 52 (election) sites are still not up to standard. This is unacceptable to any Bell County resident.”
Broughton argued that issues with non-compliant election venues were evident from as early as 2018, when John Burrows was county judge.
Commissioners approved the settlement agreement 4-0.
