Fayette County Justice Center replaces rusty toilets

Toilets at the Fayette County Justice Center’s holding cells are being replaced for inmates awaiting trial. On April 1, Major Michelle Walker of the sheriff’s office notified the county administration that a rusty toilet on the second floor recently “leaked into the holding cell and down through to the first floor of the building,” rendering the cells “useless.” Trials at the center were suspended last year due to COVID-19, but with last week’s expiration of the state’s judicial emergency order, inmates are again being housed in the cells as trials resume.

To maintain sanitary conditions and prevent further damage to the building, the Board of Commissioners voted unanimously at its April 8 meeting to authorize the emergency replacement of eight toilets at a cost of $46,037, the lower of two bids received. The money will come from the county’s general fund project contingency fund.