BENTONVILLE -- Work to remove what county officials call "microbial growth" in the walls of the Benton County sheriff's office has started.
The county discovered the problem as it looked for ways to stop moisture that was seeping into some offices in the building, County Judge Bob Clinard said.
The county needed to seal the building to prevent further damage and remove the conditions that allowed for the microbial growth to spread inside the walls, creating a potential health hazard, said John Sudduth, the county's general services administrator.
"They're creating the abatement area in plastic," Sudduth said. "They're covering the floors, the walls and the ceiling in the area they're working on, so it's just a big plastic bubble."
Once the building's exterior was sealed, at a cost of about $98,000, the county needed to have any contaminated materials removed and the building restored.
The bid for the abatement and removal work came in at about $116,000, Sudduth said.
Contingencies are in place for additional costs if the growth is found to be more widespread than thought once work on tearing out the walls begins. The county's Finance Committee approved $200,000 for the project but asked that a more detailed report explaining the difference between the bid and the amount requested be made at Tuesday's Committee of the Whole meeting.
Justices of the peace were briefed in December and given a cost estimate of $252,000 for the entire project, Sudduth said. That cost is meant to cover removing the growth and additional work to paint and finish the interior and replace carpet.
The final work will be done by the county, using inmate labor from the jail and county employees.
"The $252,000 cost was all-in and has a lot of additional work included in it," Sudduth said.
The sheriff's office will remain open and will work as closely as possible to normal, said Keshia Guyll, public information officer. People assigned to offices where the abatement work is being done will be shifted to other spots in the building5.
"Obviously, it's not easy," she said. "We've had to move some people around to work with what they're doing. It's just like anything else: You adapt and overcome. We were told the major part of it will take a week or so."
Indoor Air Technologies of Victor, N.Y., the company hired to do the abatement project, has 30 calendar days to complete its work and should be done by April 1, Sudduth said.
Metro on 03/09/2015