The overall cost of a security improvement project at the Bartholomew County Jail Bartholomew County will go up slightly after county leaders took steps to ensure the work will be completed.
The Bartholomew County Commissioners voted 2-0 Monday to approve a performance bond in the amount of $10,728.
Commissioners Larry Kleinhenz and Carl Lienhoop voted in favor of the performance bond. Commissioner Rick Flohr was absent from the meeting.
In August, the county approved a $1,072,750 contract with Security Automation Systems, based in Indianapolis, for a new surveillance system to be installed at the Bartholomew County Jail.
However, the performance bond — set at 1 percent of the overall cost — will be added to the existing contract and is to protect the county if something goes wrong, county attorney Grant Tucker said. That means if the firm wasn’t able to complete the work, the bonding company would step in to finish the project, he said.
With the performance bond, the total cost of the contract with SAS is $1,083,478.
In addition to the surveillance cameras, the project will replace automatic door locks within the jail, Bartholomew County Commissioner Carl Lienhoop said. Half of the $1.08 million project will be paid with funds from the county’s Economic Development Income Tax fund, while the remainder will come out of the county’s general fund.
Bartholomew County Sheriff Matt Myers said as part of the project, an unused portion of the jail will be reopened up that will be used to address overcrowding in the facility.
If that is done, 109 beds would become available.
If any space is left over, it could be used for an inmate treatment program in the jail if the Alliance for Substance Abuse Progress wants to do so, Myers said.
It is important for the county to have updated cameras in its jail, especially as technology continues to change, the sheriff said.
Once the project starts, it will take at least six to eight months for the new system to be installed Myers said.
