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Inmates expected to be in jail wing by May CASS COUNTY BOARD Cass County Correspondent BACKUS - Sheriff Randy Fisher reported to the Cass County Board Tuesday he expects to be able to begin moving inmates into the Cass wing of the new Crow Wing County jail by May.
Cass will begin by moving 20 prisoners there in the first stage and phase in additional prisoners over the summer. The county expects to pay about $38 per day room and board for each prisoner housed in Crow Wing County, though final figures will depend upon Crow Wing's actual operating costs once the facility opens, according to Fisher.
Cass and Crow Wing officials are still working on identifying costs and procedures necessary for agreement between the two counties before Cass will be able to book new prisoners directly into jail at Crow Wing County. Currently, all Cass prisoners are booked first into the Cass jail at Walker.
The two counties hope to begin booking prisoners arrested in the southern half of Cass directly into the Crow Wing County jail by August this year.
Tuesday, the Cass board awarded contracts to the low bidders for installing a roof over the Cass County jail outdoor exercise area. That area will be used as a holding area for Cass prisoners being transported to Walker for court hearings as well as continue to serve as an exercise area for prisoners housed at the Walker facility.
MG Carlson Construction, Herzog Roofing, Thelen Heating and Roofing and Olson Electric were the successful construction contractors, bidding a total of $182,150. When architectural, contingency and construction management costs are added to the construction work costs the total project will run $242,844 or 8 percent higher than the $230,000 estimated cost.
The project is scheduled to begin immediately, with completion sometime in May.
Chief Financial Officer Larry Wolfe reported the county's Enhanced 911 fund had a $177,409.59 balance at the end of 2006, with $68,093.07 used from that fund during 2006 to update data and improve the county's 911 communications system.
The county expects to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars in the next few years to make major upgrades to the emergency response communications system in order to participate in a statewide planned Allied Radio Matrix for Emergency Response, Wolfe advised the board. When implemented, ARMER will enable much improved communications among emergency response centers throughout the state, he said.
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