Thursday, May 2, 2024
Demolition of the old county jail and the nearby building that previously houses the Texas Department of Public Safety is complete - and under budget.
"Sierra Demolition has finished with all the sites, and they've come $24,000 under budget," said Commissioner Ryan Basham. "I'm very pleased with how they handled it. They did a very good job."
Commissioner Scott Weddle also voiced his endorsement of work done.
"They've been an outstanding vendor," he said. "We have a lot of movement going on."
Weddle said S3 of San Antonio was scheduled to do a walk-through of the jail to assess camera needs.
One of the biggest costs related to the camera system is viewing stations, and County Judge Roger Miller asked what makes them "so special" as to warrant those costs.
"I'm going to guess it's just like anything - it's a closed system," Weddle said. "It's in order for S3 and program the system. They are $5,000."
"That's why I asked the question," Miller said. "That seems high - not crazy."
Weddle said during a July 13 walk-through the jail's air handlers were assessed so the vendor could determine the best way to install them. The county is committed to purchasing two new handlers for certain, with the possibility of others to be considered.
During work on the jail expansion project, Weddle said "they hit water at 12 feet while drilling and were able to pump it out."
So far, the Leon Street Annex is $24,500 under budget, Weddle said, adding that the engineering firm working on the project has determined there is no need for a detention pond.
"Southwest Architects can put a preliminary plan out," he said.
"The biggest topic - there is a lot of talk about a server room," Weddle said. "The court had decided not to make that our server site. I had a meeting to talk about a server room. We can eliminate office space and turn it into a future server room."
He said Southwest Architects will give a preliminary cost estimate for locating a server room at the Leon Street Annex.
"The Halon (fire suppression system) will probably be the biggest cost," Weddle said.
"We have determined there is ample space and room for future expansion. We would have room if we decide to move the server from the rental spot in Waco into the county."
County Attorney Brandon Belt talked about the server in relation to the Coryell County Sheriff's Office.
"We have a plan - it may be a loose plan," he said. "The sheriff's office really needs to be hardwired in. They have a lot of systems going. Long-term, we've got to get that hard-wired in. Then it's not far from the courthouse. Then if we get the courthouse wired in, we're way down the road to getting where we want to be."
"I'm 99% sure that's already in the plans," Weddle said. "As we progress through this, we have opportunities."
Belt said having a local server "is our best solution. It's going to be there for a long time. I don't think we have a choice."
County Judge Roger Miller said resolving server concerns will benefit the county.
"It would be my hope - how do we get more modernized?" Miller said. "This would be the first time the county invests in a server room. We're already investing a considerable amount of money into this new building.
"I would think it would be a good idea to heed the advice of the technical experts and have a server room. The costs are truly minimal because the distances are so short. Do we want to bore to install fiber or pay pole fees?
"I hope to tie buildings in with fiber and it becomes a closed system which reduces the amount of data we’re putting on the internet. We become much more efficient and much more secure."
