MONTICELLO, NY — At a meeting of the Sullivan County Public Works Committee, county legislators were given an update of the new county jail under construction just outside of the Village of Monticello.

The presentation was given by Nate Engle of LeChase Construction Services, one of three companies that have contracts regarding the project. The project began in November 2016, and work was able to go on through the winter with a couple of slowdowns due to weather. 

He said the foundation work for the various structures is nearly complete, structural steel and masonry installation has started, and the pre-cast cells, which will eventually hold the inmates, are in production at another location.

Engle said 28,000 man-hours had been invested in the project by the end of April, 10 wooded acres had been cleared and 150,000 tons of dirt and rock had been moved; financially, about 18% of the total funds for the project have been expended.

This summer the bulk of concrete slabs for pre-cast cell pods will be prepared, and work will continue through next year into late summer of 2018. The completion date now is expected to be September 5, 2018, which will be ahead of schedule.

To this point, about $229,000 not included in the original budget has been expended to deal with the removal of rock from the site, and some more will be needed, but there is a $1 million contingency fund built into the budget, which is expected to be more than enough to cover the cost.

At the conclusion of the preparation, Joe Perrello, chair of the committee, commended the three companies with contracts for the project, LeChase, LaBella Associates and The Pike Company, and said “everything is right on target.”

DPW positions to be filled

In other matters related to the Division of Public Works (DPW), the new deputy county manager, Dan Depew, said the county is seeking to fill a number of positions in the division, especially one near the top, which would involve two existing but unfilled positions that would be merged into one.

Depew said, “The salaries are too low to get the right person, but if you get the right people you don’t need both.”

Legislator Nadia Rajsz said she had been involved in discussions about the position and, “this is the best course of action.”

Depew added, “To the press in the room, we’re hiring.”

Household hazardous waste collection

Also at the meeting, recycling coordinator Bill Cutler announced that two household hazardous-waste collection events have been scheduled. During these events, county residents may dispose of waste that is otherwise hard to get rid of such as old oil-based paints, car batteries, roofing tar and fluorescent light bulbs.

The first date is Saturday, June 17, and the second is Sunday, July 23. Residents wishing to participate must pre-register by calling the DPW at 845/807-0291.

The collection events are held at the county’s largest transfer station, in Monticello.