The new control panel will be paid for by issuing new bond notes or one-year loans to pay for the projects, Clark County Administrator Nathan Kennedy said.
Building and maintenance staff have kept the equipment working, but Kennedy said the control panel built in the 1970s is outdated and needs to be replaced.
“Replacing the control panel built back in the ’70s is called basic maintenance of the jail. If you want a functioning jail, you have to maintain it, and this will maintain the basic function of the jail,” Kennedy said.
There are currently no known problems with the control panel, Clark County Sheriff Gene Kelly has said. But county commissioners are taking a proactive approach to upgrade it, and the electrical system, before an equipment or electrical failure occurs.
The jail is located in the Public Safety Building at 120 N. Fountain Ave. The building, which also houses the Springfield Police Division, was constructed in 1980 and cost $10.2 million.
When the jail was completed, it was called the “most modern” facility in Ohio, according to a fact sheet about the facility.
Kelly said the building is 34 years old and the wiring and other electronic controls need to be updated to enhance safety.
He said deputies at the jail are responsible for more than 200 inmates and the new system will increase security.
“We want to make sure everyone is safe and secure so this new board will provide that technology and the wiring that goes with it to make sure this is a safe and secure facility,” Kelly said.
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