Commission approves changes to jail contract

By Staff
John Hicks FCT Staff Writer
At its regular scheduled meeting at the courthouse annex Monday morning, the Franklin County Commission approved several changes in the contract for the ongoing construction at the new Franklin County jail.
The changes were related to an electronic door that had been omitted from the contractor's plans. Contract changes are a routine part of any major construction project, said Probate Judge Mike Green, commission chairman.
Green said the jail construction committee would look into the question of whether the county should be reimbursed for the new costs related to the door.
The jail construction committee meets at least once a month and is composed of Commissioner Jackie Bradford, Sheriff Larry Plott and Brian Moore of Martin and Cobe, a construction management company that is assisting the county in the oversight process.
Construction on the new jail is scheduled to be completed in August.
Also Monday, county engineer David Palmer requested that the commission approve the transfer of any future savings on the County Road 87 project from the public building fund to the four-cent gasoline fund.
Palmer told the commission he expects there to be substantial savings on the CR 87 project due to the county's completion of shoulder work that would otherwise be bid out.
Palmer told the FCT that Franklin County residents could look forward to improvements on County Road 22 that would include leveling, resurfacing and traffic stripes.
In other business, the commission: