Wichita County jail maintenance projects move forward; roof and generator issues flagged

The jail captain updated the Wichita County Commissioners Court on May 16 that a kitchen renovation will start the following week and that pod remediation work inside the jail is nearly finished.

“Monday, we’re gonna be starting the kitchen project,” the jail captain said, and later estimated about $2,100 to replace expiring batteries on controls identified during a recent fire‑marshal inspection.

Captain remarks and commissioner questions highlighted several maintenance items: a recent fire marshal inspection identified beeping battery backups for HVAC control switches that are near end of life; staff reported an earlier electrical issue with the generator has been resolved; several hallway lights remain out; pod remediation and repainting are almost complete; and some kitchen fixtures and a floor area require follow‑up during the renovation.

The captain invited commissioners to view the updated pods and said staff would email a more detailed roofing quote and related maintenance documentation. Commissioners also raised safety items: a jammed roof hatch and an inaccessible lock for a middle roof hatch that currently lacks an available key; a janitor‑closet light sensor that may not reliably activate when someone enters from above ceiling access; and a front‑lobby door handle that was ripped off during a recent release, which is being secured temporarily until replacement parts arrive.

Inmate housing expansion work was discussed: the trustee/inmate building structure is complete but staff are awaiting IT work to extend fiber and install cameras before moving trustee workers. The captain said funding for camera and internet work will come from two budget lines (one tied to inmate work programs and the other to the general fund) and that he will provide a cost estimate for agenda review.

The court discussed reporting and billing related to out‑of‑county inmate prescriptions and asked staff to add those figures to the jail revenue page so the information covers two weeks rather than single billing runs. No formal motions were made; staff committed to follow up by email and bring quotes and updated reports to the court for future agenda items.

Commissioners praised general facility cleanliness and the progress of recent projects but asked staff to supply the court with the Manasco Roofing quote and any additional roof‑repair information for decision‑making at a later meeting.