The Cobb County jail will receive a new cooling tower and a new water heating system.
Contracts were awarded 5-0 by the Cobb County Board of Commissioners on Feb. 12.
Johnson-Laux Construction LLC and US Communities will receive about $362,257 to replace the aged water heating system for building A which includes pods A, B, C, D, kitchen and laundry, according to Cobb Sheriff Neil Warren in a Feb. 12 memo to County Manager Rob Hosack.
MaxAir was awarded $84,159 for a new Cooling Tower that provides cooling to all inmates and personnel in the tower building.
Funding for both amounts will come from the 2016 Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax.
The existing Cooling Tower is “deteriorated, not functioning” and “beyond repairs,” Warren said.
Calling it “a mission critical system” that is now 35 years old, Warren said the water heating system “requires near constant maintenance.”
Also, the system has damage from leaks and flooding “that severely disrupt operations” and is “severely lacking in energy efficiency due to age and outdated equipment,” Warren added.
Federal guidelines require the Cobb jail, also known as the Adult Detention Center, to meet certain requirements regarding water heating “that must be met daily without fail,” Warren said.
All tanks, heaters and accessories within the water heating system will be replaced with updated equipment with like capacity, he added.
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