Benton County Jail Keeping Inmates In Hot Water

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

— If everything goes as planned, inmates in the Benton County Jail are going to be in hot water.

The Sheriff's Office is replacing one of the 16-year-old boilers at the jail in the next few weeks after the equipment began to malfunction.

Byron Frischman, jail maintenance supervisor, said a mechanical failure led to one of the four boilers overheating, and some parts essentially burned out. The boiler has been going in and out of service despite his best efforts, and because of the age of the equipment, it cannot just be swapped out but must be replaced with a newer model, Frischman said.

"This was 16 years old; it was put in when the jail was built," Frischman said Tuesday during a news conference that included a tour of the boiler room at the jail. "They don't make parts for it anymore."

The boiler to be replaced was used for the jail showers. Other boilers supply hot water for the kitchen and laundry. Frischman said the repairs he did kept the unit operating to a point, although water temperatures would vary, dropping to 70 degrees in some instances.

"We have to check this every day," he said. "It was going down at least weekly."

The county asked for bids to replace the boiler, and Mountain Mechanical of Fayetteville submitted the low bid of $74,368. The contract, which county Judge Bob Clinard signed Tuesday, gives the company three weeks, beginning Monday, to complete the work. The contract also calls for boiler operation at the jail to be interrupted for no more than six hours when the old boiler is removed and the new one installed.

Gary Harvey of Mountain Mechanical said during the tour the project shouldn't present any problems.

"I think it'll go smoothly," he said. "This is a very well-kept space. It'll be easy to work in."

Major Rich Conner with the Sheriff"s Office said state standards require providing inmates with hot water for showers. Inmates also have hot water in the sinks in their cells. He said having a reliable supply is also essential for the kitchen and laundry operations. The problems with the boiler hadn't been a major issue, but needed to be addressed, Conner said.

"It goes down, we call Byron and he resets it," Conner said. "He's had to come out in the middle of the night. I can remember only one day where they couldn't shower for a few hours."

The new boiler will cut costs and save the county money in the long run, Frischman said.

"They are much more efficient," he said. "It's new technology. Eventually, saving the money on gas is going to pay for the whole system."

NW News on 03/26/2014