Commissioners table bid for jail reroof

Curry County commissioners tabled an action to approve a bid for $592,900 from DKG & Associates to reroof the Curry County Jail at their regular meeting Tuesday morning.

“It's about three times what it should be,” said Chairman Ben McDaniel. “I've bought a whole lot of flat roofs, and this is obscene.”

According to County Finance Director Carol Pipes, the bid proposed to the commissioners was the lowest of only two bids to re-roof the jail.

County Manager Lance Pyle said the roof has not been replaced since the jail was built in 1993, but had undergone minor repairs a few years ago after a hail damage claim.

Commissioner Chet Spear suggested hiring an expert to look at the roof and examine if it really needs to be replaced or undergo repairs. Other commissioners thought it would be worthwhile to consider putting out another bid for a pitched roof.

“If we are going to start all over, we ought to look at an alternate for a pitched roof,” said Commissioner Tim Ashley. “For $600,000, I'm not sure that you can't put a pitched roof on it and be done with all the issues of a flat roof.”

But Pyle warned commissioners that the costs of relocating inmates until the roof leaks are fixed could become very costly.

“Until we decide what we want to do, we are spending anywhere from $50,000 to $85,000 a month — not including medical — to house inmates out of the county,” Pyle said.

Road Superintendent David Corbin presented a petition from two property owners for the closure of a portion of Curry Road 8, Curry Road X and Curry Road 8.5.

“We had numerous incidents of hunters and trespassers on our land,” Corbin read aloud from the petitioner's letter. “We have had livestock shot and killed as well as trash dumped on our property. We believe by closing the roads and making them private, this will eliminate this issue.”

But Corbin also presented an opposition letter from another property owner who said the closure of two roads will block him from access to his property.

County Attorney Steve Doerr said at the meeting the commission would need to determine whether or not to start the process of appointing three freeholders to view the area, who would present a report on their recommendations for action at a future meeting.

Spear, Ashley and McDaniel approved beginning the process and appointing Frank Blackburn, Oran J. Autrey and Wayne Martin as freeholders.

Commissioner Angelina Baca opposed both items with a concern for objectivity because Corbin said the freeholders and landowner's relationship is unknown.

Ashley abstained from the two items “because I want to hear more from the people involved before I decide.”

Spear expressed concern after Jail Administrator Tori Sandoval reported the jail had 24 current vacancies and three notices of officers who will be leaving in the upcoming month.

“This month it’s almost 27,” Spear said. “That’s almost double the vacancies since your last report on June 2. Do you have any idea why you’ve had a doubling of the loss of personnel in just 30 days?”

Sandoval said in contrast to past reports announcing officer and booking specialist vacancies, she is now expanding her report to include other personnel vacancies. Sandoval said they have spoken with outgoing individuals who cited leaving for better paying jobs, to work on the base, to join the military and for general relocation.

The commissioners also approved $2,500 for funding for the Texico Volunteer Fire Department for fiscal year 2015-2016, authorized up to $15,000 to raise the “Oldest House” at the Curry County Fairgrounds due to flooding issues, and approved a motion that instructed Pyle to draft a county policy concerning routine inspections of all county facilities, equipment and vehicles.

Baca proposed the commissioners change the first regular meeting of the month to evenings to accommodate working citizens and her own professional work as a criminal defense attorney with conflicting scheduled jury selections.

Commissioners made a unanimous decision to add a resolution amendment to the July agenda so the board could begin conducting an evening commission meeting starting in August.