Mitchell attended his first meeting after the PDB hired Codell as the construction management firm on the project.
Design Architect Dennis Arthur did not attend the meeting. Chenault Woodford represented Arthur’s firm of employment, CMW Architects. In previous meetings, Arthur said that he believed the current courthouse to be free from asbestos and other hazardous waste.
“We’ve found similar nine-by-nine tiles in other facilities, and everyone has tested ‘hot,’” said Mitchell, who explained that hot meant the tiles contained asbestos and required removal. He added that some linoleum flooring could contain asbestos, as could some pipe insulation.
“Step one is the site consultation where the potential hazards are identified. Step two is to test the materials and step three is to remove it. This needs to be executed as soon as possible,” said Mitchell. “The trouble is that once the asbestos is identified, we have to allow the state 10 days in which they may or may not come in to take a look.”
The board approved a $3,000 bid from Airsource Environmental to conduct the first phase inspection. Arthur submitted a package in January that included all three steps for $46,000 for the former Trigg County Jail that he hoped to demolish and build a parking lot on the property. The high price of the bid, also from Airsource caused the board to balk at approving the expenditure. As the bid exceeded $20,000 the board would be required to solicit public bids from other contractors.
Arthur’s plans to raze the jail and build a 20-space parking lot may be too costly for the project’s current budget, according to Mitchell. “The jail and parking lot will cost as much, if not more than the courthouse to demolish because of its solid steel and concrete construction,” he said. “The cost of the demolition and site work for 20 parking spots is prohibitive. It would be some high-dollar parking. If there is money in the project, we will do it, otherwise, we will bed it as an alternate. If there is money to do it, we will do it.”
The PDB bought the now-closed jail from the county based on Arthur’s recommendation that the building be demolished to create additional parking for the new justice center. Asked who owns the building currently, Judge/Executive Stan Humphries said, “The county has received funds for the building from the state, so I think that there has been a deed transferred.”
Learn more of the Justice Center's additional expenses on the front page of your Cadiz Record.
