BROWNSTOWN
Four of the five bids county officials received to replace the roof at the Jackson County Jail were lower than what was earmarked for the project.
Commissioners received bids for the project that the council had earmarked $521,000 for the work. The project will be paid for through a general obligation bond.
The lowest bid came from Seymour-based Royalty Roofing at $286,802.37. The highest bid was from Southern Roofing in Columbus, which bid $529,500.
The county also received bids from Insulated Roofing Contractors of New Albany for $399,990, HRC Roofing of Columbus for $473,500 and Blackmore and Buckner Roofing of Indianapolis for $473,450.
The jail’s roof is 46,508 square feet and is the original one from when the jail opened in the summer of 2000.
Sheriff Rick Meyer said there are several areas throughout the building, including pods and offices, where water will leak during heavy rains.
“It’s a flat roof, and after 20 years, things will get worn out and bad,” he said. “It’s just time to replace it. It’s a big project because there is a lot of roof up there.”
Bids also included a price per square foot for insulation replacement. Royalty bid the lowest at $1.65 per square foot. Blackmore and Buckner bid the highest at $4.90.
Commissioners tabled the issue until the July 16 meeting to give time for county attorney Susan Bevers to review all of the paperwork and permits submitted by the companies.
A decision is expected to be made during that meeting, which starts at 9 a.m. in the Jackson County Courthouse Annex, 220 E. Walnut St., Brownstown.