Glenn County Grand Jury releases 2021/22 findings

Jul. 20—The Glenn County Grand Jury recently released its 2021/22 report highlighting several investigations the grand jury conducted over the past year, including a review of the Elk Creek Community Service District, the Glenn County Jail and the Glenn County Probation Department, as well as recommendations for the county moving forward.

"The members of the 2021-2022 Civil Grand Jury are a diverse group, each possessing unique experience and skills with the ability to work well as a unit," said Margaret M. Ansel, 2020/21 Civil Grand Jury foreperson, in her address to Supervising Judge Alisha Ekland. "Each grand jury member dedicated time and energy in conducting investigations, providing information analysis, as well as delivering professional report writing experience."

Here is a breakdown of the report:

Elk Creek Community Service District

The grand jury visited the Elk Creek Community Service District to understand the operations of drinkable water for the community, according to the report.

They found that the working conditions of the facility are unsafe due to lack of routine maintenance and failing equipment.

"The switch to manual operation has created additional problems and increased staff responsibilities," read the report. "The eyewash station was not serviceable which violates OSHA's primary EYEWASH standard 29CFR 1910.151. There was no evidence of inspection, and the station was covered in dirt. Additionally, mosquitos were living inside the facility, and we all sustained several bites making us anxious to exit the facility as soon as possible."

Findings indicated that the bathroom facilities were not readily available which violated OSHA regulation standards and several California plumbing codes were in violation as well.

Grand jury members noted that they recommend the Elk Creek Community Service District receive basic training of municipal water treatment system operations and that there should be an operator onsite while the system is operating due to the switch to manual operations.

The water district needs to bring in a certified company to assess and address the problems with its system and fix the eye washing station, provide a restroom, make necessary repairs and regularly flush the system to remove particulates.

Glenn County Jail

As required by California Penal Code 919, the grand jury conducted an annual inspection of the Glenn County Jail.

It was noted during the inspection that the new HVAC system had been incapacitated by the maintenance operator in response to a system malfunction.

"Specifically, the Economizer was disabled because it was pumping too much cold air into the facility so much so that the system could not maintain a comfortable temperature," read the release.

The grand jury found that taking action to disable the equipment requires immediate corrective action because the equipment was new and should have been repaired under warranty to correct the situation.

"At the time of our visit, it had been months since the problem occurred and no repairs had been made," read the report. "When asked if maintenance staff was trained on the system the response was only on overview of the location of the controls and basic operations."

Grand jury members said the condition indicates that the system was not properly commissioned as is required for public buildings in the state, but they were not able to obtain commissioning reports and TAB documents due to limitations caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The grand jury concluded that the HVAC system should be repaired and continued training on its proper use and maintenance should be implemented.

"The County in cooperation with the Sheriff's Office has endeavored to upgrade the HVAC system to a new, modern, and more efficient system," read a letter from the Sheriff's Office in response to the grand jury's recommended action. "The project has been complicated due to the pandemic as well as availability of parts."

Findings also show that the grand jury examined the facility's emergency power system (EPS) and found that operators do not know enough about the system to properly operate, service and test the equipment.

"Because this system supports the Fire Life Safety system of the jail it is essential that this equipment functions properly," read the report. "The EPS is shared with the courthouse and other government buildings. If this equipment is diesel fueled it presents a problem as the sizing of the EPS is linked to the load, testing should be conducted with all loads connected."

Jail officials said the EPS is functioning properly and the Secured Facilities Maintenance supervisor is trained and knowledgeable of the system.

"The system is tested weekly; and serviced and repaired by manufacturer certified technicians," a response to the findings stated.

"The Glenn County Sheriff and the Glenn County Jail Commander will continue to meet on at least a monthly basis with the Secured Facility Maintenance Supervisor to discuss building maintenance needs, funding issues, and enhanced maintenance schedules to maximize facility upkeep and repairs," said jail officials.

Other concerns noted by the grand jury in its report were the installation of a hold open device on a fire door in the main egress corridor, the storing of flammable material in a stairwell, walk-in refrigerator units have locking hardware that is not releasable from the inside, cells in the main jail entry area that need to be repainted and the SDS binder should be more readily accessible.

Overall, the report found that the interior conditions of the jail were in good shape, the lighting was well maintained, toilet facilities were functional and the interior was clean and well organized.

Glenn County Probation Department

The grand jury visited the Glenn County Probation Department to determine the effectiveness of services provided by probation for parolees and probationers in Glenn County and to review the quality of services to juvenile probationers.

Findings from the report indicate that budget cuts have led to a decrease in the number of officers, which has led to a decrease in service to the community.

"The cut to the number of officers has hampered the ability of the department to keep up with the expansion of paperwork required by the state, leading to a decrease in the ability to track clients' progress," read the report.

It was also reported that the role of the probation officer is being altered by the court system but there are inadequate resources to obtain necessary training and handle the increased workload.