MANSFIELD — The Richland County Jail should have a new kitchen in time to make Christmas dinners for inmates.
County commissioners on Tuesday awarded a $724,008 contract for the work to Modern Builders of Mount Vernon in connection with the remodeling project on the kitchen that serves a 266-bed jail.
Modern Builders was one of two companies that submitted bids for the project, which engineers estimated at $778,720. The other bid was $872,200 from the Setterlin Building Co. from Columbus.
County administrator Andrew Keller said a contract would be signed in a week and he expected work on the project to begin in two weeks. The project will be paid from county capital funds.
The contract calls for “substantial completion” within 90 days, which would be early December.
“We’re hopeful that the contractor can achieve substantial completion before that 90-day deadline,” Keller said. “It continues to be an expedited project.”
Work will begin with fall and winter looming. A mobile kitchen set up in the jail parking lot will be used during the project.
“We don’t want to be in a situation where we are operating a mobile kitchen well into December. We want to avoid that,” Keller said Aug. 18 when bids were opened.
Work on the project began in May when commissioners approved a $49,000 design contract with MAD Studio Architects of Mansfield, working with architect Brad Mauer and Craig Christie with Karpinski Engineering.
“This is a kitchen that runs seven days a week, 365 days a year,” Mauer said in May. “It’s a commercial kitchen that is now going on 20 years old.”
Maurer and Christie reviewed the two bids, checked references and spoke to company officials. They recommended Modern Builders in a letter on Aug. 23.
(Below is the letter from Brad Mauer recommending Modern Builders for the Richland County Jail kitchen project.)
Keller said the biggest part of the project is replacing the jail kitchen floor and floor drains.
“(That floor) dates back to the original construction 20 years ago,” he said. “They will be (removing) the existing floor and putting in an epoxy-based commercial floor.
“We’re also replacing all the major kitchen appliances, including kettles, dishwasher (and) sinks,” Keller said.
“One of the biggest challenges, as we’ve mentioned, is the logistical considerations, mainly coordinating the mobile kitchen on the site. We’re still in the process of finalizing those details, but our food service contractor is in contract with U.S. Mobile Kitchens for delivery of the mobile kitchen.
“We just have to finalize our addendum with (Summit Correctional Services, which has the jail food contract with the county),” Keller said.
Richland County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Jim Myers, the assistant jail administrator, told commissioners in May the jail averages around 215 to 220 inmates per day. That adds up to around 650 meals per day and more than 235,000 annually.
The cost is about $2.42 per meal, based on 651 to 700 meals per day.
RCSO Maj. Jim Sweat said in May the kitchen has not been renovated since the jail opened in 2008.
