JARRETT GOODMAN
Staff Writer
A change order for the purchase of furniture for the Marion County Jail Expansion project has recently received full approval from the county Board of Mayor & Commissioners. During Mayor David Jackson’s absence of the board’s recent meeting, County Attorney William Gouger helped explain what the change order is and how much the furniture would cost. He stated that all furniture listed in the request costs $86,000, which includes new beds, tables, as well as mattresses for the pod being added to the prison. The request was made back on March 25 of this year. County Sheriff Ronnie “Bo” Burnett stated additional information regarding the order, clarifying how the county will cover the costs of all the pod’s furnishings. A grand amount of $100,000 is to be added towards the project to not only cov er the furniture, but also additional assets needed for the new pod. Around 70 mattresses in total was noted to go towards all cell blocks within the pod. A few concerns were expressed by Commissioner Paul Schafer as to the price of each set of furniture listed in the order. However, Commissioner Don Adkins assured him of a list provided to all commissioners that breaks down
the proper quantity of all furnishings purchased, as well as the cost of each item. And despite brief worries, all members in attendance approved the
change order for the new addition to the jail, with the pod to receive all required furnishings upon the order’s completion.