Work is underway this week at the Callaway County Jail to update the facility's sprinkler system.
The Callaway County Commission awarded the $25,000 bid to Ozark Fire Protection, Inc. to transition the main sprinkler system from a dry system to a wet one, according to Western District Commissioner Doc Kritzer. With the current dry system, pressure forces water to the sprinklers. Water will always be held inside the lines with the wet system.
Leftover water droplets caused rusting in the dry system, and clogging become an issue. Kritzer said the system has been leaking over the past couple of years. The main sprinkler lines can be found in hallways, and secondary lines break off of the main line into rooms. The original project scope was only for the main system, but clogging in secondary lines may cause it to be expanded. The commissioners visited the jail yesterday to oversee the project.
"It's having 25-year-old issues just like we have in our homes," Kritzer said.
The commission and leaders from the Callaway County Sheriff's Office, prosecuting attorney's office and 13th Circuit Court addressed the concern of overcrowding at the jail in November. They discussed the possibility of constructing a jail addition, but authorities are exploring other avenues to solve the issue. Kritzer said the commission did take the jail addition possibility into consideration when deciding to spend money on a new sprinkler system.
At a recent state conference for commissioners, Kritzer said he and others talked about how to move non-violent inmates through the court system more quickly. While talking with a Missouri Supreme Court Justice, Kritzer said Callaway County could move toward putting non-violent offenders through rehabilitation programs.
"It's the violent offenders we need to keep down there (in the jail) to protect people and to protect themselves," Kritzer said.
Commissioners are also looking to finalize the purchase of new meals and kitchen equipment for the jail. The Fulton State Hospital has provided the county's inmates with the same meals it provides its patients. The state will no longer provide that service with changes to its facilities. Kritzer said the commission is optimistic to make a deal with Signature Foods, a Millersburg-based food service company.
The company will provide a cold breakfast and hot lunch and dinner in individual, pre-packaged containers. These meals will be stored in a walk-in cooler that the commission plans to purchase for $10,000-$15,000, Kritzer said. Meals can go straight from the walk-in cooler to a double oven, which Kritzer said will cost $6,500. He added that no additional personnel will be required, and certain inmates (trustees) and jail employees will prepare the food.
Kritzer said he hopes the kitchen will be running by April.
Correction:
Initially, the Fulton Sun incorrectly stated that the Callaway County Commission could spend $65,000 on a double oven for the county jail. The correct amount of money which the commission can spend on the oven is $6,500. The story above has been corrected to reflect the correct amount.