CARTHAGE, Mo. — The security system currently in use in the Jasper County Jail, compared with new technology now available, is “like the difference between a phone on the wall and an iPhone.”

That was the comparison on Wednesday from one of the contractors interested in replacing equipment and systems that were installed when the jail was built in 1992. Representatives of six companies toured the jail, and met with county officials and others who will be involved in the repair project to start later this year.

Contractors will be asked to submit proposals by March 14 on how they would make the repairs and the costs for the work. Officials expect to award a contract April 3, according to Paul Chastant, senior architect with Carter Goble Lee, who is working with county officials on the project.

Chastant; sheriff’s Capt. Becky Stevens, who supervises the jail; John Bartosh, presiding county commissioner; and Jim Honey, Eastern District associate commissioner, met with the potential contractors at the county courthouse to discuss the project. The group, except for Bartosh, who was ill, then toured parts of the jail. They saw the current systems and questioned Chastant, Stevens and workers in charge of building maintenance.

The project will include repairing or replacing all security doors and hardware at the jail, replacing electronic security systems, integrating the current closed circuit television system, and installing a new fire alarm system. A separate proposal is to be submitted for installation of a video visitation system.

Chastant said the companies represented at the meeting “are the most recognized in the industry.”

“We’ll want you to tell us what’s best, and what systems can and can’t be integrated,” he said.

Though he praised current maintenance at the jail, Chastant said the systems in place have been there since the jail’s construction and “are old and pretty chewed up.”

Jail officials have reported problems with systems that control lights, alarms and door locks, as well as locks on doors that inmates are able to open.

Chastant said crews for the successful contractor will have to coordinate closely with the jail staff so the work conflicts as little as possible with jail operations.

Work will be confined to a single detention area at a time, so inmates can be moved into other areas, Stevens said. Work in larger detention pods will require that some prisoners be moved to other jails. While work is under way, at least one deputy and one member of the maintenance staff will stand by, she said.

Though Sheriff’s Department officials have been involved in planning for the project, the jail has been a source of conflict between Sheriff Archie Dunn and members of the County Commission.

Dunn earlier argued against repairs, saying the county would be wasting money on a building that is outdated and undersized. Citing problems with overcrowding, Dunn last year moved a number of county inmates to other jails, racking up bills of more than $150,000. The County Commission refused the pay the charges, saying the costs were not budgeted or authorized by an approved contract.

Before the economic downturn, Bartosh, Dunn and other officials discussed the possibility of constructing a new justice center that would include county court operations, the sheriff’s office and jail, and juvenile court operations. Carter Goble Lee completed a study for the county as part of the discussions.

Dunn also has said that the County Commission, which is in charge of buildings under state statute, is responsible for the costs of jail repairs. The commissioners have disagreed, and they intend to pay for the project using funds from the law enforcement sales tax.

Those are among a series of conflicts that are part of a lawsuit the sheriff has filed against the commission.





Payment plans



RICHARD WEBSTER, county auditor, said plans for payment are not yet firm, but the commission has talked about using up to $550,000 from the county’s emergency fund for the work, then repaying the account from law enforcement sales tax funds over a period of years.