Anticipated costs for county jail heat-air fixes leave project shelved for now

Oklahoma County temporarily is shelving plans to use COVID-19 mitigation funds to improve the existing jail's heating and air system.

The county jail's HVAC system works, but it needs various fixes, including getting all of its smoke detectors in return air ducts working correctly and synced with the building's fire alarm system.

That project also aims to replace leaking coils, corroded drip pans and repair other condensation leaks throughout the system, plus correct thermostat issues inside the building.

County Engineer Stacey Trumbo told commissioners American Rescue Plan Act money initially allocated for the project was being returned to the main ARPA account because it had become clear it wouldn't pay for all the needed work. Additional evaluations are needed to determine where available funding might be found.

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"That particular project is probably going to substantially overrun (the budget). It is kind of a start-over, really," he said.

"I just want to make sure folks know we are not canceling this project all together," Commissioner Carrie Blumert said. "We are relooking at how much it is going to cost and trying to figure out what to do."

"I cannot even predict what it might cost in this inflated economy," Trumbo later told The Oklahoman.

More pandemic-related federal funds in Oklahoma County offered to meet ongoing needs

Oklahoma County is making more funds available to nonprofits that would like to obtain federal dollars to limit the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on the community.

The county already is asking for them to apply for about $5.7 million in unspent money Oklahoma County received through ARPA to mitigate illness-caused stresses on people and local economies.

The funds are intended for housing, mental health, addiction treatment, other health services, jail diversion, food assistance and after school support programs. Plans are to divide the funds equally among each of the commissioner's districts, providing about $1.9 million for programs inside of each one.

Accenture, the company hired by the county to evaluate proposals to spend the funds both from nonprofits and governmental entities, will go through requests for help previously received during a funding round in March 2023 that disbursed $81 million to support 121 aid requests.

It also will review any other funding requests submitted to the county by May 30.

The county's policy and governance board will evaluate and recommend awards later this year.

Oklahoma County initially received $154 million through the act and so far has authorized spending nearly all but what's currently available.

As for the county's HVAC needs at the jail and other concerns, funds may be available. At its first meeting in May, Oklahoma County's Board of County Commissioners transferred:

● $53.01 in unspent ARPA funds from a completed project to upgrade camera systems for the Sheriff back into the main ARPA account.

● $1,804,584.60 in unspent ARPA funds from a previously approved $2,483,530 project to make the needed upgrades to the jail's heating and air conditioning systems into the main ARPA account. Commissioners reallocated $678,945.40 from the original jail HVAC project to plug a budget shortfall in the county's ARPA-funded project to remodel the main entrance to Oklahoma County's annex building.

● $3,718,179.02 from the main ARPA account into the county's general fund, covering the Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office payroll and benefits expenses from March through June of 2021.

● $11,173,931.30 from the main ARPA account into the county's general fund, covering the Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office payroll and benefits expenses from July, 2021 through June, 2022.

The $14.9 million transferred into the county's general fund could be important, as it could pay for the jail's HVAC needs, plus recently discovered HVAC system operational issues at the Krowse Building, the sheriff's headquarters, and the Oklahoma County Juvenile Justice Center.

Commissioner Myles Davidson said commissioners ultimately will decide how those funds are spent. "We are in the early stages of this right now," he said.

Commission Chairman Brian Maughan predicted that wouldn't last long.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma County rethinking how to pay for jail heating, AC fixes