Mold and drainage issues topped the order of business of Thursday night’s meeting of the Building and Grounds committee as members discussed possible renovations at the old jail facility and a proposed remodelling of the Carter County Health Department.
Members of the committee recently toured the old jail facility, which is located in the upstairs portion of the building which houses the Sheriff’s Department, clerks offices and courtrooms. Committee Chairman Ray Lyons said prior to the election of the new commissions, discussions were already underway to remodel the old jail into office spaces which the county could then rent out to tenants. Lyons added he had spoken with Sheriff Dexter Lunceford and Chief Deputy James Parrish and they had both voiced support for the idea.
“I think it would be an excellent way for the county to make a little extra money,” said committee member Randall Jenkins.
However, Jenkins and fellow committee member Willie Campbell both cited concerns with health issues in the old jail, including the possibility of black mold within the building.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for the county but I just want to make sure we are going about it safely,” Jenkins said.
If there is black mold in the old jail, Campbell said, the county could be held liable for illnesses suffered by those who work on the remodelling.
Ronnie Trivett, who was filling in on the committee for his fellow district representative Beth Depew, pointed to other existing problems in the facility. “It’s deteriorating real bad up there,” he said.
Discussion on remodelling the old jail has been going on for some time, said Trivett, who is a returning member of the commission. He said plans had been discussed to use inmate labor either from the local jail or from the Tennessee Department of Corrections work camp in Roan Mountain to complete the renovations.
“This is not something that’s going to happen right away,” Trivett said. “This is going to take some time, possibly two or three years.”
Even with the process anticipated to take some time, Lyons said the county should have steps outlined for the project. “We need to have a plan in place,” he said. “We need to make sure we don’t jump into something and drown in the process.”
In reference to the possibility of black mold, Lyons suggested the county have environmental testing conducted to see if it is present in the building. He said the testing could be conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency or possibly through the local health department.
Committee member Al Meehan advised his fellow committee members that seeking testing should be conducted “discretely” because of the possible impact to the county if the building were to be shut down because the EPA “got a bee in it’s bonnet” over the black mold issue. If the building were to be closed, Meehan said the courts and Sheriff’s Department would be affected.
At the conclusion of the discussion, Lyons told members of the committee that as chairman he would speak with the Lunceford, Parrish and the health department to get a better idea on what, if any, mold issues were present in the building.
Members of the committee also addressed a request by Caroline Hurt, director of the Carter County Health Department, to approve the department spending $7,500 from its budget to hire Reedy & Sykes architect firm to complete designs for a proposed renovation of the health department.
The two largest problems at the facility are overcrowding and drainage issues on the property, Lyons said, adding money for the design work would come from the Health Department budget and would require no new funds from the county.
During discussion, Meehan asked if anyone had been in contact with the City of Elizabethton since the property is located inside the city limits. Both Meehan and committee member Isaiah Grindstaff said they would like to see coordination between the county and the city on the project because any action taken to alleviate the drainage issues with the property could cause other issues, such as drainage problems with nearby properties, which the county could then be held liable for. Grindstaff also pointed out any construction work could worsen the water problems and said he felt the drainage issue should be tackled before renovations were approved.
After discussing the matter, the committee voted to refer the matter to the Highway Committee and Road Superintendant Roger Colbaugh to see what could be done about the drainage issue.