Mahoning commissioners spending $49K to fix hot water failings at jail

YOUNGSTOWN — Mahoning County commissioners during a Thursday meeting put money toward fixing the Mahoning County Jail's domestic water system, whose hot water has become unreliable due to aging pipes, creating COVID-19 infection concerns.

The pipes supplying hot water to the 1990s-built jail's 12 inmate pods and its medical pod have been accumulating calcium deposits, making hot water availability sporadic since November, said James Fortunato, the county's purchasing director.

"It got to the point where the inmates were not getting the water temperature they should. With the virus, it became a concern," he said.

Commissioners on Thursday approved an agreement totaling $49,652 in non-general funds with Prout Boiler Heating and Welding Inc. of Youngstown to install circulation pumps and temperature controls to fix the problem. The proposed fix and three received proposals were vetted by a mechanical engineer, Fortunato said.

Officials during the Thursday meeting said the lack of hot water at the jail may have created a liability, though Fortunato later said the issue would have been addressed regardless of the pandemic. Fortunato wasn't aware of any complaints.

"We're doing everything as quick as we can in all our buildings. ... With a building that large, with that many pods and so forth — to be in compliance with Ohio Revised Code, we moved as fast as we could," he said.

Mahoning Sheriff Jerry Greene was unavailable for comment Thursday.

This story was originally published February 19, 2021 at 4:11 AM with the headline "Mahoning commissioners spending $49K to fix hot water failings at jail."