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County hears River City jail construction update; commissioners affirm close review of pay applications
Summary
River City Construction updated commissioners on interior work and pending pay applications and change orders for the county’s new jail, and county staff described a multilayered review process for monthly pay requests.
River City Construction presented a construction update on the county’s new jail at the Jan. 14 Coffey County Board of Commissioners meeting, describing interior mechanical, electrical and plumbing work in progress and several pending change orders.
The contractor said rough‑ins are ongoing—ductwork and plumbing are advancing in the sheriff’s office and sheetrockers and painters are working on multiple levels. River City also asked commissioners to review a final commemorative plaque for team members; the plaque size was described as about 18 by 12 inches.
County staff described the county’s current practice for reviewing pay applications and change orders. Pay applications are routed to county staff and the sheriff; the county counselor and sheriff meet with the project engineer (Cole) to go line by line over the monthly pay application, typically taking one to two hours and sometimes continuing into the evening to accommodate schedules. The county representative said a pay application expected in mid‑January would be “a little over $1,400,000” (amount described by the presenter as approximate).
Commissioners said they are satisfied with the existing level of scrutiny, which they said was added early in the project to avoid perceived “rubber‑stamping.” The process routinely requires the engineer to ask contractors for backup details when figures require explanation before commissioners see applications for final approval.
River City reported a payout coming in this month; staff said the contractor refers to change requests as “potential change orders,” some of which are bundled into the county’s presented change‑order listings. Commissioners also heard that some exterior items (awnings, brick washing) and interior finishing (doors at the booking area) are in near‑term sequence and that painters and sheetrock crews are completing work on multiple levels.
Commissioners thanked the construction team for progress reports and transparency; county officials said the review process—engineer, sheriff and county counselor meeting to vet pay apps—is likely to continue.
Ending
Commissioners signaled they would continue detailed review of pay applications and change orders, citing public transparency and fiscal stewardship.
