Platte County Correctional Facility is considering some upgrades this year.
During its regular meeting earlier this month, the Platte County Board of Supervisors approved a $1,642,685 offer from BD Construction for plumbing work at the prison.
RVW Inc.’s Mike Kennedy said at the June 6 board meeting that the plumbing infrastructure was being upgraded.
“In terms of infrastructure, a lot of piping runs through the middle of the building, down to the cafeteria area, and then out of the building,” Kennedy said. “Within this infrastructure, they replace the grease separator in the kitchen area.”
The current grease trap is essentially non-functional, he said, and it will be upgraded and relocated elsewhere for better access and safety.
In addition, Kennedy added, two restrooms on the west side of the facility would be replaced.
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Platte County Sheriff Ed Wemhoff further explained the importance of the project when supervisors inquired about what absolutely needed work to be done.
The grease trap is a big problem and needs to be replaced, Wemhoff said, as there are issues with it that are causing problems with the water supply and drainage, Wemhoff said.
As for the toilets in question, he added, the biggest issue is lack of space.
“In the areas where there are sanitary facilities, I don’t know if I even have anyone who fits into that area. …When they (service people) go back there and fix the plumbing problem, they don’t even fit in,” Wemhoff said. “They’re going to need more space for the plumbing so they can actually bring people in to work on the plumbing.”
Overall, the prison has been around for many years, Wemhoff added, and is showing signs of wear and tear. The detention center’s website states that the facility was built in June 2023. It is located at 1125 East 17th St. in Columbus.
“We’re at a point now where it’s not all inclusive,” Wemhoff said. “We’re not going to replace everything, but I think we start every year by budgeting and replacing a few things.”
As announced on June 6, the project has received $548,000 from the county’s American Rescue Plan Act. At that time, the Board will escalate the matter to its Building and Property Committee for further consideration.
“We just deliberated it to see whether or not we wanted to change anything or anything else and the committee came back with the recommendation to leave the offer as is and so the board accepted it,” District 2 Supervisor Jerry Micek told The Columbus Telegram this week.
The construction time for the project is one year, the start of construction was planned for September.
Hannah Schrodt can be reached at hannah.schrodt@lee.net.
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