Work to Resume on Replacing Jail Locks
Five years after first making the proposal, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department was given approval Tuesday to resume work on replacing the aging electronic door and locking system at the County Jail.
The Board of Supervisors approved allocation of $1 million in sales tax money--specifically earmarked for public safety agencies--to be used on the jail door project. The total cost of the project is estimated at $3 million, with the balance of the money mostly coming from the Sheriff’s Department.
The county initially awarded a contract to Los Angeles-based Fire Electric to replace the electronic door system in 1995. But the county and Fire Electric got into a dispute over details of their contract agreement, which led to Fire Electric suing the county.
In the interim, sheriff’s officials discovered that the locks on the jail’s 400 cell doors were quickly wearing out and also had to be replaced, greatly increasing the cost of the work.
But the project remained stalled because of financing problems and the ongoing litigation with Fire Electric.
County officials said Tuesday that the Sheriff’s Department can now hire another contractor to do the job.
Sheriff’s officials estimate that it will take about 18 months to complete the project.
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