LAKEPORT — Sheriff-Coroner Frank Rivero has identified several significant maintenance problems at the Lake County Jail on Helbush Drive in Lakeport, which he said would take financial priority over other planned department improvements.
“We”re on it; we”re dealing with it; we have a plan in place,” Rivero said.
A wide range of jail equipment needs maintenance.
A 6,600-gallon propane tank that services Phase I of the jail, the original section, needs to be upgraded before July to meet federal standards, according to Rivero. The tank also needs repair work, which could bring the estimated cost near $50,000. Five tanks serving Phase II, the newer addition, also need upgrade work, Rivero said.
Heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) units atop the jail roofs are in need of repair, and the jail”s water softening system is currently not operating, Rivero said.
Issues arose with the fire detection system, causing a fire safety problem around the Christmas holiday, Rivero said. Some smoke censors were found to be inoperable and jail staff has replaced 25 censors thus far. As of Jan. 2, the system returned to “all systems normal” status, according to jail commander, Capt. Crystal Esberg.
More common are issues throughout the jail”s water system, ranging from leaking pipes to malfunctioning equipment. One of two 10-foot-tall boilers in one boiler room is broken, which causes delays in creating hot water.
Pipes in several boiler and maintenance rooms leak onto the ground. The most significant interior problem, according to Esberg, is a series of leaking pipes in the Pod C housing facility. One plumbing room requires two five-gallon buckets be placed underneath the pipes and emptied at least once a day.
Rivero attributed many of the maintenance issues to “probably a decade of shoddy repair” for which he said little documentation of work orders exists.
Jail maintenance by unlicensed outside contractors appears to be one of the root causes, Rivero said. The jail currently has two full-time maintenance staff members, Esberg said.
Correcting the maintenance problems is a top priority for Rivero, who said he is focusing intently on these issues to ensure the health and safety of jail staff and the inmates.
“I have a constitutional obligation to care for these inmates,” he said. The jail held 207 inmates in custody, as of Tuesday.
Esberg complimented the inmates, calling them “phenomenal” for their cooperation with some of these issues, most notably the hot water problems, which she correlated to the types of problem that could lead to riots.
Rivero said he began noticing some maintenance problems while touring the jail Nov. 3. He and Esberg said they inspected the jail numerous times during the transition phase.
Esberg, who had been jail commander from May 1999 to 2004, was reinstated to the position in January. Esberg called the reassignment “the best Christmas present I ever had.”
Rivero said he has a plan in place for addressing these jail issues. The department has begun receiving bids and estimates for some of the repair work. Rivero said that once the “lowest responsible, qualified bids” are in place, he plans to present the bids and maintenance issues to the Board of Supervisors.
The department is currently researching grant-funding opportunities, he said. For the time being, the fixes will take precedent over some of Rivero”s other planned improvements, such as patrol car upgrading.
Rivero estimated that most repairs would take a maximum of 60 days once funding and bids were in place. The department plans to “do it once; do it right,” he said.
Contact Jeremy Walsh at jwalsh@record-bee.com or call him at 263-5636, ext. 37.
