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Wayne County officials say water tests at Criminal Justice Complex were within normal ranges; project closeout talks continue
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Summary
Wayne County Corporation Counsel James Heath told the committee that a water management plan for the Criminal Justice Complex was finalized and shared with the state, and that laboratory tests conducted over about 10–11 days showed all measures within normal ranges; negotiations with Bedrock on project closeout are ongoing.
James Heath, Wayne County corporation counsel, told the committee that the county has finalized a water management plan for the Criminal Justice Complex (CJC) and that recent laboratory testing showed water-safety measures “in the normal range.” He said the plan, developed over about six months, was shared with the state, which provided supportive feedback.
Heath said the testing was proactive and not prompted by any reported illnesses at the facility. “No one had gotten sick at the CJC at all,” he said, emphasizing the county’s intent to adopt ongoing, regular testing as part of the management plan. Heath said the tests were processed by a contracted water-safety laboratory and that results were returned after roughly 10–11 days.
The plan grew from complaints and internal concerns about water temperatures related to washing machines and cleaning processes. Heath said county staff, the architect team and the sheriff’s office worked together to identify issues and to design remedial measures. He added that the facilities deputy director is coordinating with procurement to issue a broader bid that would tailor similar plans for other county properties that are less complex than the CJC.
Heath also reported the county is negotiating final completion with developer Bedrock for the CJC and indicated those negotiations involve potential claims that might require a closed-session discussion. He said architect-related issues are part of the closeout process and that the county aims to resolve the closeout before moving forward on a feasibility study for any additional facility.
On operational fixes, Heath said flooding that had been a concern has “calmed down considerably,” crediting newly designed, harder-to-tamper-with sprinklers and the sheriff’s department’s efforts. He also noted the office submitted a year-end report through TCM that includes information requested by Commissioner Wilson about union contracting; he invited commissioners to review that report ahead of the next meeting.
Votes at a glance: The committee approved the December 2, 2025 meeting minutes and approved a motion to receive and file the addenda by voice vote; no opposing voices were recorded in the transcript.
Heath told members he expects a more detailed discussion of the water-management work at the next meeting and reserved other comments for that future session.
