Public safety committee approves fund transfer to replace failing jail pipes

The Washington County Public Safety Committee on an April meeting approved a resolution to transfer general-fund money to replace cast-iron waste lines at the county jail, after public-works staff said the main run is severely deteriorated and could force an immediate shutdown of kitchen services if it fails.

Committee members moved the item to the start of the agenda so the county’s chief of public works could present and then leave for other business. The committee voted to approve the funding transfer with Supervisor Burke making the motion and Supervisor Tom seconding; the motion carried.

The county’s chief of public works told the committee crews must remove the old piping rather than using a lining technique. “If we were to try to line them, we’re probably going to break them and then cause an emergency situation,” the chief said, describing the portion as the main run that “if that were to break unexpectedly, the whole kitchen would be down immediately.” He said the work requires removing roughly 6 inches of concrete and digging down to the pipes, and that replacing those sections now allows the county to arrange temporary kitchen operations and do work during daytime hours, which staff said will reduce cost.

The chief also said the sections being replaced will be PVC and that other cast-iron fittings elsewhere in the jail have been replaced on an ad-hoc basis over the years. Committee members raised no recorded opposition to moving forward with the planned replacement during the meeting.

The committee approved the motion by voice; there was no roll-call recorded in the meeting transcript.