Walker County Commissioners Court approved a contract June 30 to upgrade water conditioning systems at the Walker County Jail, authorizing an award not to exceed $240,264 to Timberline Contractions from jail funding and project contingency funds.

Facilities project manager Cheryl (role: project staff) told the court the county worked with its engineers at GLS on the design and bid process. She said the project includes selected options for equipment and prefiltration and that the county inherited the project about two years ago. When the solicitation closed, Timberline Contractions submitted the winning bid; the court approved the award by motion and voice vote.

GLS engineer Eddie Morgan, who participated by phone, provided cost and maintenance estimates for the new carbon prefiltration system. "We're getting four sets of filters as part of the project. So we're expected to be around $3,000 if you have the filters already each time you change it. If you if you have to buy the filters and o‑rings and gaskets and things that go with it, it's about $7,300 for a change out," Morgan said. He also explained the installed system uses multiple banks of filters (two sets of six) so the jail can continue to operate if one side is serviced; the county will supply spare parts and gaskets to reduce future expense.

Commissioners discussed whether the upgrade was driven by elevated chlorine in the city supply and the county's earlier decision to move away from salt‑based softeners to a charcoal/adsorption approach. Finance director Patricia (role: county finance) reported available project funds: roughly $76,000 remaining from the original budget plus other line items; she said the balance needed would come from project contingency funds, which the court confirmed are available.

Questions from commissioners focused on ongoing replacement schedules and lifecycle costs. Eddie Morgan said first‑year spare parts and filters are included in the project; thereafter the vendor expects routine changes (six months for initial change, then multi‑year intervals, depending on usage) and provided the $3,000 to $7,300 estimate per change. Commissioners directed staff to include estimated ongoing maintenance costs in future budgets so filter replacements don't require repeated supplemental appropriations.

The court also approved related procurement items on the agenda, including geotechnical services and subconsultants for state grant projects, as part of a larger capital‑project agenda for county facilities.