Houston County approves rooftop repair quote, will solicit jail-roof bids and funds 911-center flooring and concrete work

Houston County commissioners approved a $22,125 roofing quote for one county building and agreed to solicit competitive bids for the jail roof, and they voted to include funds to repair raised flooring and concrete at the 911 center, officials said at a county meeting. Commissioner (Speaker 1) moved the roofing approval and the motion passed by voice vote.

The matter began as a review of four county buildings with roof problems: the library, the jail, the veterans center and the Delta department. A staff member (Speaker 2) told the commission the county had a quote from Randy Lewis Roofing for one building at $22,125 and described two proposals for the jail roof, one at $74,001 and another “coming out at 74 for about 300.” The staff member said one bidder would remove and replace roofing and that the county needed a manufacturer warranty where possible.

During discussion, a maintenance worker (Speaker 4) described temporary fixes that had been used on some buildings and recommended removing metal, installing tow boards and re-securing strips and screws to stop leaks. A participant identified as Commenter/Commission member (Speaker 3) asked that the county put the jail roof out to bid: “Let us bid it out and fix it. Let us bid it out and fix it. Let us bid it out with the air to take the air off. Lets see what the bids come back in as,” the speaker said. Commissioners agreed to issue a request for bids (planned for a July advertisement, with returns likely in August) and to consider two options depending on whether rooftop HVAC units would remain in place or be removed.

The county also discussed an HVAC failure on one rooftop unit with a repair estimate of about $16,780 to replace a 71/2-ton rooftop air-conditioning system; that unit failed during the meeting. Commissioners discussed sequencing: doing the full roof replacement versus temporary repairs and coordinating any HVAC work to avoid redoing new roofing.

Separately, the commission reviewed work at the 911 center after contractor problems delayed completion of the front concrete and raised flooring installation. County staff said they were meeting with the original flooring contractor to get an estimate to reinstall the custom raised tiles and that initial cost estimates for the flooring were roughly $7,000 to $10,000. The commission approved a motion to include funds to cover re-marketing or replacement of those tiles and necessary front concrete repairs; the motion passed by voice vote. Commissioner (Speaker 1) summarized the motion before the vote: “So those are 2. Any other discussion about it? All in favor... Aye. Opposed. Okay. So well be on the agenda for the ninth.”

Commissioners and staff also discussed space and timing for a planned nursing (LPN) program that would bring classes and cohorts of roughly 20 to 25 students. Staff member (Speaker 5) said the program starts in late September and that officials need to identify classroom space and a few rooms suitable for clinical practice beds. Options discussed included using the UT office, the old EMS building, or other county facilities such as the CCC; commissioners raised concerns about parking, accessibility and whether a particular building had adequate insulation, plumbing and parking capacity for repeated classes. The commission agreed to delay any final placement decision for 30 days and to inventory county facilities before committing to a move.

The meeting also covered a request to clean carpet in an office move, with a contractor estimate of about $3,500 to clean roughly 1,400 square feet, and an item to refurbish offices (patching holes, painting) with an estimated $7,000 to $10,000 in repairs and a note that about $50,000 in furniture would be needed if the county elected to refurnish a building for use by outside partners.

Discussion versus actionable decisions were kept separate: the commission formally approved the $22,125 roofing quote for the one building and the financing for the 911 flooring/concrete repairs; commissioners directed staff to solicit bids for the jail roof and to take 30 days to evaluate space options for the nursing program and related moves. Several commissioners and staff emphasized that some repairs would be temporary if warranties or full replacements were not secured, and they requested manufacturer warranties be included in bids when possible.

No statutes, ordinances or formal external approvals (for example state or federal grants) were cited in the discussion recorded in the transcript.