Sheriff requests $35,135 to repair original jail exhaust fans; court hears feasibility and capacity concerns

Sheriff Lyons updated Polk County Commissioner’s Court on work to reopen the original section of the Polk County Jail and requested approximately $35,135 to repair or replace purge/exhaust fans required by jail safety standards.

The sheriff described two distinct areas of the facility (the 'old' and the 'old old' sides), said engineers are still assessing plumbing, HVAC and fire systems, and warned that while replacing the purge fans is a necessary step it could expose additional downstream failures once the systems are run under daily load. He gave an illustrative HVAC price of $132,000 for the "old old" side and said full reactivation could require hundreds of thousands of dollars depending on the work scope. The sheriff also discussed bed capacity and staffing constraints — noting Polk County could hold roughly 311 with full staffing but regularly has been between 270–295 inmates — and said he may need to continue out‑of‑county contracts until staffing and repairs are sufficient.

For the agenda the sheriff asked the court to authorize the ~$35,135 needed to complete the purge fan repairs so engineers can finish feasibility work and provide more exact total costs. Commissioners and staff discussed next steps, a feasibility study by DRG Architects already approved by the court, and the potential that a larger expansion (200–250 beds) would require bond financing and voter approval.

Outcome: The item was discussed at length; the transcript records the funding request and feasibility discussion. The transcript does not read a formal roll call vote or record a final tally for the sheriff’s funding request in the public record segments provided; county staff indicated more precise cost estimates would follow once engineers complete the assessment.