County building and maintenance staff told commissioners that several jail shower pans — poured epoxy resin units — are delaminating, cracking and in some cells coming off the walls, creating safety and sanitation concerns.

Nora (building and maintenance staff) said the repairs require a factory-certified contractor because the material and application are proprietary; county staff cannot acquire the necessary chemicals to perform the repair in-house. She said she had located a contractor in Boise who performs this work statewide and was awaiting a written quote.

Staff described two repair options: (1) have the certified contractor reapply or replace the epoxy/resin shower pans and wall coatings, or (2) remove the existing pans and install stainless-steel fixtures — a much more invasive option that would require extensive plumbing, jackhammering and concrete work. Commissioners and staff said they preferred the certified repair option to avoid the greater disruption and cost of full replacement.

County staff asked for authority to move forward once the cost estimate is received and noted that the jail inspector would write a citation if the repairs were not made before the next inspection.

Next steps: building and maintenance will submit the contractor’s quote to commissioners for approval and proceed with scheduling repairs upon approval.