Capital Development Committee approves transfer of DOC funds to repair East Canyon prison water tank

The Capital Development Committee voted unanimously to approve a Department of Corrections supplemental request to transfer leftover capital-renewal funds from a completed Buena Vista sanitary sewer project to repairs and replacement work at the East Canyon (Canyon City) prison complex.

Mitch Karstens, interim director for finance and administration at the Department of Corrections, and Rhonda Bokerlinder, assistant director of facility management services, told the committee the Buena Vista sanitary sewer project is complete and has cut the department’s sanitary sewer costs by roughly $87,000 a year. Bokerlinder said the work stopped groundwater from entering the sanitary sewer line and freed up a remaining balance of just over $446,000 that the department proposes to transfer to East Canyon’s water-tank repairs and replacement.

According to Bokerlinder, the project has replaced a smaller tank and placed a larger 1,600,000-gallon tank into service; the department plans to repair an existing 1,600,000-gallon steel tank later this year. She said both tanks hold domestic water and provide fire-suppression capacity for about 31% of the department’s population at East Canyon, which the department reported serves about 5,024 inmates.

Committee members expressed support and limited questions; the chair noted familiarity with on-site conditions and the urgency of repairing corroded tank infrastructure. A member moved to support the supplemental request; Miss Forbes polled the members and the motion carried unanimously 5 to 0.

The committee record shows the transfer was approved as a first consideration; the department indicated repairs and replacement work are expected to proceed so the larger tank is fully operational by December.