County accepts bids for fire suppression at Sheriff’s Dept.
The Ozark County Commissioners accepted a bid for installation of fire suppression equipment and chose an insurance agent for the county during their regular meeting at 9 a.m. Monday this week.
Commissioners accepted a bid for fire suppression equipment from Sho Me Fire Protection of Springfield for $60,560 for the county jail’s portion of the sheriff’s department building. The only other company bidding on the project was Midwest Fire from Kansas City for $129,954 for the entire building.
Sho Me Fire Protection initially added an estimated $32,000 to add a new main water line from the city’s water main (if a new line was needed), bringing the possible total to more than $90,000. However, the commissioners declined the additional $32,000. If a new water line is necessary, the county will hire a third party to install it at a much lower cost to the taxpayers, they said.
“Once we get with the city, we’re going to have to determine if that main that is already existing there will work for what they need,” said Ozark County Sheriff Cass Martin.
The fire suppression system is needed for the jail area of the Sheriff’s Department. “This building is not going to burn,” said Ozark County Clerk Brian Wise. “There’s parts of it that could get smoke damage and stuff like that, but for people that are locked up in jail that they can’t get out, this is the part that will cover the inmates.”
In other business
The county also chose Jerod Hicks from Barker Phillips Jackson to serve as insurance agent for the county. Hicks was chosen after the commissioners interviewed three agents.
Bids for culverts to be used by the Road and Bridge department will be accepted until Nov. 27.
An adjustment to the budget for the Ozark County Sheriff’s department was accepted. The adjustments are for estimated revenues of $1,149,507.01 and appropriations at $1,122,176.23.
The Missouri State Treasurer is scheduled to be at the Ozark County Courthouse from 2:15 to 3 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 15 in the meeting room on the second floor to give a presentation on MoBUCK$, a program offering low-interest loans for investments in Missouri small businesses, agriculture and government entities. Everyone is welcome to attend.
The Ozark County Commissioners hold their weekly meeting at 9 a.m. Mondays in the commission’s office on the upper level of the Ozark County Courthouse in Gainesville. The meetings are open to the public. To contact the commissioners, leave a message on their office voice mail at 417-679-4096 or email ozarkcountycommission@outlook.com.