Coffey County jail work moves into interior finishes as commissioners discuss medical-services contract in closed session

Contractors reported progress on interior work at the county's ongoing jail construction project, with masonry, mechanical/electrical/plumbing rough-ins and sheetrock work advancing and painters scheduled to begin.

A project representative told the commission the masons finished activity-room walls and that crews were completing interior framing and soffits in the jail area. MEP (mechanical, electrical and plumbing) rough-in was reported as underway on the south half of the building, with ductwork expected to begin in the sheriff's office area within days. The contractor said sheetrock finishing upstairs should be finished soon and that painters would start at the end of the week into the following week.

County staff and commissioners also discussed drainage around the facility. The contractor described trench drains and inlets around the sally port that will route water east and then north under connector corridors. Commissioners raised concerns about keeping large storm events away from the facility and asked about pipe sizes and trench-drain placement.

During the meeting the commission moved into an executive session to discuss medical-services contracts for the jail with the sheriff and county counsel present, citing the KSA citation read on the record. The closed-session discussion included Sheriff Tom Johnson and undersheriff Eric Smith along with county counsel and commissioners. When the commission returned to open session no public action on a medical-services contract was announced at that time.

No contract award, firm vendor name, or public vote on medical-services terms was announced in the open meeting record. Additional procurement steps, vendor selection and any eventual contract terms were not read into the public record during the session.