COBB

COUNTYWIDE

Jail to receive new cooling, water heating

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from leaks and flooding “that severely disrupt operations” and is “severely lacking in energy efficiency due to age and outdated equipment,” Warren added.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.

CAROLYN CUNNINGHAM FOR THE AJC

UPCOMING

  • Black History Month: "The Unsung Hero." 11-11:45 a.m., 2-2:45 p.m. Saturday. Free. Visitor Center, Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, 900 Kennesaw Mountain Drive, Kennesaw. Learn from historian Brad Quinlan about the roles played by African Americans in the Union Army, serving first as undercooks and then as stretcher bearers. 770-427-4686 ext. 0, nps.gov/kemo
  • African American History Month program. Noon-5 p.m. Saturday. $5.50 to $7.50, free for children ages 3 and under. The Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History, 2829 Cherokee St., Kennesaw. Learn about the United States Colored Troops during the Civil War told by James Hayes, discover the story of Pullman Cars and explore how African Americans contributed to World War I and beyond. SouthernMuseum.org/annual-events/African-American-History-Month
  • Black History Month: "The Promised Land, the Great Black Migration and How It Changed America, 1910-70." After the 10:30 a.m. worship service on Sunday. Fellowship Hall, Zion Baptist Church, 165 Lemon St. NE, Marietta. Hosted by the Old Zion Heritage Museum, this program will be presented by the Rev. Henry Whelchel Jr. Then the museum, across the street from Zion Baptist Church, will be open for tours. zbcMarietta.org/Black-History-Month