The county administrator provided a construction update on the new Lake County jail project at the May 8 meeting, describing visible progress and a recently discovered abandoned well on the site.

The administrator said a live webcam maintained by the project’s design-builder, Gilbane, shows active construction on the footprint across from the existing jail: “those are the secure elevator cores that are currently being constructed,” he said. He described a completed front basement wall and workers on-site, and said cranes and construction trailers are visible in the staging area at the former Burger King site.

The administrator reported that crews discovered an abandoned well on-site about a week earlier; he thanked the Ohio Department of Natural Resources for responding and said the contractor and DNR are coordinating to plug and abandon the well in accordance with permitting requirements. He said the issue is not expected to have a “de minimis effect” on the project timeline and that work is proceeding.

No new contract awards or budget adjustments were made during the meeting. The administrator offered to answer questions about the project and said additional updates will be provided as construction progresses.