Kootenai County commissioners approve immediate materials testing for jail pods

Kootenai County commissioners voted unanimously to approve a contract for materials testing on the county jail pod project after a presentation by Jeff Vohler, director of Building and Grounds.

Vohler told the commissioners the request was "time sensitive" and said testing should have been done earlier. He said the county needs quality-control testing on the jail project and sought approval for a contract with Boodinger and Associates Inc. (the transcript also uses the spelling "Buttinger and Associates" in later lines).

A motion to approve the proposal was made and the board recorded three affirmative votes: Commissioner Eberline, Commissioner Duncan and Chair Metairie. The motion carried and the chair said the proposers could take the document immediately.

The meeting transcript does not list a dollar amount for the contract, a contract number, or who specifically moved the motion; those details were not specified in the discussion. The record shows the request was presented as urgent and approved by roll call.

Speakers on the record included Jeff Vohler and the three commissioners who voted. No public comment on this item is recorded in the transcript.

The county’s immediate next steps, as reflected in the meeting, were limited to approving the testing contract and turning over the signed document; no further implementation schedule or testing scope was discussed on the record.