The Warren County Commissioners have awarded a contract to facilitate roof repairs to the jail’s rec yard.

The commissioners approved a request for proposals last month as part of the response to the July escape of Michael Burham from the facility.

A mandatory walk through was held and two companies attended though only one submitted a bid.

Commissioner Ben Kafferlin said the total bid price – including razor wire around the yard on the jail roof – is $131,592.

“It met all of the requirements of the bid,” he said, and “was within the budget that we anticipated.”

Director of Finance and Administration Lisa Hagberg said the funds to cover the expense would come from the county’s federal COVID-19 American Rescue Plan allocation.

“(I) look forward to getting this done,” Commissioner Jeff Eggleston, calling it “another line of defense on the roof.”

County officials are looking for “roofing material to be placed over the steel beams and secured for security, allowing fresh air into the yard,” the proposal’s scope of work detailed. Currently, the roof is secured with a chain-linked fence.

“The county would prefer it replaced with a metal mesh that would both allow airflow and prevent objects from passing through the membrane,” the RFP states.

The contract was awarded to IWF – Industrial, Welding and Fabrication, based in Jamestown.