Deteriorating by the day

[Guest guest]

Deteriorating by the day

By ROB MOORE

Thursday, August 20, 2009 3:47 PM EDT

The Northeast Georgian

http://www.thenortheastgeorgian.com/articles/2009/08/21/news/top_stories/01topst\

ory.txt

A plethora of problems, including a leaking roof, rust, mildew, mold and a hole

in the wall all plague the Habersham County Detention Center in esville,

first occupied only about 11 years ago. ROB MOORE/Staff

The Habersham County Detention Center is a money pit fraught with ongoing roof

leaks, rust, poor ventilation and mold, officials there say.

The problem got so bad last week with the discovery of black mold that two of

the jail's four detention blocks had to be evacuated to jails in other counties.

" The mold grew in three days, like I've never seen it grow here before, " said

detention Sgt. Les Hendrix.

" Over the past 11 years that the facility has been open, it's been nothing but

roof leaks, " Hendrix said. " It's just not put together the way it should be.

We've fixed and patched and spent thousands of dollars. "

In fact, three years ago, the county spent some $80,000 to repair the roof that

again is resulting in flooded cell blocks and additional rust, mildew and mold.

" All that rain yesterday, it's flooded back there in those cells, " said Sheriff

Terrell on Wednesday.

" It's poor design and poor construction really, " Terrell said. " The building's

not that old. It should serve the county another 10-20 years, but there's no

way. In 10 years, this building's going to fall down around us. "

" Had it been done properly in the first place, we wouldn't have this money pit

that we're in now, " Hendrix said.

How bad is the problem?

" The rust is everywhere - it's in all blocks, " Hendrix said. " The back side of

these cells is rusting in as well as out. "

And the mold and mildew are affecting the health of inmates and workers at the

detention center.

Freeman, nurse at the facility, said she constantly sees the negative

results of the water leaks and many inmates and staff members are on medication

for related illnesses.

" Of the 35 inmates that I'm treating right now, 23 are on something either for

runny noses, coughs, colds - that's all part of it, " Freeman said. " We have

fortunately not come into contact with this fungal infection that gets into the

lungs, but I'm afraid it's coming. "

That would be a bad thing, Freeman said, especially since the jail only has two

medical isolation cells and they don't have their own ventilation system.

" The air you're breathing in here [sheriff Terrell's office] is the same

air they're breathing in medical, " Hendrix said.

" If we get somebody that has tuberculosis, we have to ship them out, " Terrell

said. " The closest place that would take them was Gwinnett County; now it's Hall

County. "

" You put 80 people in a room and somebody is going to get sick - but the amount

we've been having is way, way above normal, " Hendrix said. " If this was the

courthouse, they'd have slapped a condemned sticker on it already, I guarantee

you. "

" This is a sick building that's making everybody else sick, " Freeman said. " It's

costing the county money. "

" Not only do you have the inmates that are affected, the officers are in here 60

hours a week, " Hendrix said. " It's bad on them, too. "

" There have been several officers here who have been out sick due to bronchial

problems, " Freeman said. " A majority of them have had upper respiratory-type

infections, some MRSA [Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus], " which is a

skin infection.

Cuts and scrapes experienced by officers on an almost daily basis in the

performance of their duties can get infected quickly in the facility, Freeman

said.

" It is just a breeding ground, " she said.

Freeman said not only does it cost the county money for inmate medication and

out-of-facility care when they are sick, it also costs the county in lost time

when detention officers are sick, as well as the expense of bringing in officers

to cover for those who are out sick - often at overtime pay.

And county health insurance premiums also likely go up because of the number of

claims by detention center employees, she said.

" It's very disheartening when you go to work every day and deal with these

issues, " Hendrix said.

But the medical issues aren't all related to respiratory problems.

Some inmates, intent on hurting themselves, find ways to capitalize on the poor

condition of the building.

" We had one back in the maximum security area that took rusty paint chips off

the wall and cut their wrists, " Terrell said.

Freeman said that under Sheriff DeRay Fincher's administration all windows at

the detention center were ordered to remain shut.

That was for two reasons, Hendrix said: to reduce noise to the adjacent

neighborhood, where children play some 10 feet from the perimeter fence, and

because opening the windows meant the detention was " cooling the world " with its

air conditioning system.

One of the concerns with the adjacent neighborhood was that children were

subjected to hearing profanity and even comments of a sexual nature emanating

from the facility.

Until those windows were shut, however, " we didn't realize that the ventilation

is as bad as it is, " Hendrix said.

" It's amazing that we don't have Legionnaires' disease, " Freeman said.

A tour of the jail on Wednesday revealed widespread rust throughout the

facility, including along the ceiling line, around fixtures and along the floor.

In one evacuated cell, Hendrix was able to stick his finger through a hole in

the steel wall of a cell.

" The back side of these cells is rusting in as well as out, " Hendrix said. " We

can knock all the surface rust off and paint, but it's obvious with the hole in

the wall that there is rust we can't see. "

" It's not Legos - we can't take it apart and clean it, " Hendrix said. " We can

keep aesthetically patching everything, but it's not going to get rid of the

problem. "

An occupied cell upstairs in A Block exhibited widespread, deep rust behind

plumbing fixtures.

Hendrix also pointed out that when the detention center was built, the walls

were covered in household paint rather than epoxy, standard residential-grade

sheetrock was used and cabling to surveillance cameras is the same as that used

in homes. That has led to a lot of maintenance and health issues at the

facility.

Why worry about conditions for inmates?

" Everyone that's in this facility has a father and mother, husband or wife,

children out there in the community, so it's our job to protect them, " Terrell

said. " They're still human beings and we have to care for them. "

" It's the county's responsibility and our job, " Hendrix said.

Hendrix pointed out that there is a common misconception that those in the

detention center have lost their rights, but that is incorrect. In fact, some

are being held before their cases have been heard.

Poor design is a theme in the building, officials agreed.

Hendrix pointed out two sets of showers in A Block, which contains 76 beds, that

can't be used because of water issues. That leaves only two single shower stalls

to serve the entire population of that cell block, which was at 79 as of

Wednesday.

One of the design issues is the use of stationary shower heads that are aimed

out rather than down, resulting in what Hendrix said is a 40-foot puddle of

water in the day room when showers are in use.

That creates a slip hazard, but also adds to moisture issues in an already

poorly-vented area, he said.

The upstairs showers can't be used, because the water coming from them " creates

a waterfall down here, " Hendrix said, referring to the downstairs day room where

inmates congregate.

On Wednesday night, 17 female inmates were returned to the female detention

block at the jail from Rabun County.

Terrell said he doesn't want the public just to take his word and that of his

employees for the condition of the jail.

" I invite everybody to come see it, " Terrell said. " It's not my jail, it's

Habersham County's. "

" We're happy to give tours, " Hendrix said.

As of presstime, no county commissioners have toured the facility.

" Several of them asked about it, but none of them have been out here to look at

it, " Terrell said when asked.

Assistant County Manager/Finance Director Tinsley " came over and walked

through, " Terrell said.

" has asked us about looking for grants to help us build [a new jail], "

Terrell said.

But currently there is no design for a new detention facility.

" We need to get something on paper in case we get the funding to build one, "

Terrell said. " We need to start planning tomorrow. In 10 more years, the

integrity of the cells are going to come into question with the rust problems. "

" We can't wait until this building is condemned and have to house everybody out

while we build a jail, " Terrell said.

This time, however, the facility needs to be designed for future capacity, not

current numbers, he said. It also should be a quality job that is warranted

against defects.

" It can't be that every 10-15 years the sheriff comes to the county and says I

need $20 million or whatever [to replace the jail], " Terrell said.

[Guest guest]

This Detention Center is about 5 miles from me. I have some officer friends

there that I was just speaking to and it seemed most of them could use several

days of sleep. I thought overworked?? I didn't know of this problem till just

now. Many had that zombie look and were having a hard time keeping there heads

off the desk. Now I know why!!!!!

I guess I will plan another visit.

KC

>

>

>

> Deteriorating by the day

>

> By ROB MOORE

> Thursday, August 20, 2009 3:47 PM EDT

> The Northeast Georgian

>

>

http://www.thenortheastgeorgian.com/articles/2009/08/21/news/top_stories/01topst\

ory.txt

>

> A plethora of problems, including a leaking roof, rust, mildew, mold and a

hole in the wall all plague the Habersham County Detention Center in

esville, first occupied only about 11 years ago. ROB MOORE/Staff

> The Habersham County Detention Center is a money pit fraught with ongoing roof

leaks, rust, poor ventilation and mold, officials there say.

>

> The problem got so bad last week with the discovery of black mold that two of

the jail's four detention blocks had to be evacuated to jails in other counties.

>

> " The mold grew in three days, like I've never seen it grow here before, " said

detention Sgt. Les Hendrix.

>

> " Over the past 11 years that the facility has been open, it's been nothing but

roof leaks, " Hendrix said. " It's just not put together the way it should be.

We've fixed and patched and spent thousands of dollars. "

>

> In fact, three years ago, the county spent some $80,000 to repair the roof

that again is resulting in flooded cell blocks and additional rust, mildew and

mold.

>

> " All that rain yesterday, it's flooded back there in those cells, " said

Sheriff Terrell on Wednesday.

>

> " It's poor design and poor construction really, " Terrell said. " The building's

not that old. It should serve the county another 10-20 years, but there's no

way. In 10 years, this building's going to fall down around us. "

>

> " Had it been done properly in the first place, we wouldn't have this money pit

that we're in now, " Hendrix said.

>

>

>

> How bad is the problem?

>

> " The rust is everywhere - it's in all blocks, " Hendrix said. " The back side of

these cells is rusting in as well as out. "

>

> And the mold and mildew are affecting the health of inmates and workers at the

detention center.

>

> Freeman, nurse at the facility, said she constantly sees the negative

results of the water leaks and many inmates and staff members are on medication

for related illnesses.

>

> " Of the 35 inmates that I'm treating right now, 23 are on something either for

runny noses, coughs, colds - that's all part of it, " Freeman said. " We have

fortunately not come into contact with this fungal infection that gets into the

lungs, but I'm afraid it's coming. "

>

> That would be a bad thing, Freeman said, especially since the jail only has

two medical isolation cells and they don't have their own ventilation system.

>

> " The air you're breathing in here [sheriff Terrell's office] is the same

air they're breathing in medical, " Hendrix said.

>

> " If we get somebody that has tuberculosis, we have to ship them out, " Terrell

said. " The closest place that would take them was Gwinnett County; now it's Hall

County. "

>

> " You put 80 people in a room and somebody is going to get sick - but the

amount we've been having is way, way above normal, " Hendrix said. " If this was

the courthouse, they'd have slapped a condemned sticker on it already, I

guarantee you. "

>

> " This is a sick building that's making everybody else sick, " Freeman said.

" It's costing the county money. "

>

> " Not only do you have the inmates that are affected, the officers are in here

60 hours a week, " Hendrix said. " It's bad on them, too. "

>

> " There have been several officers here who have been out sick due to bronchial

problems, " Freeman said. " A majority of them have had upper respiratory-type

infections, some MRSA [Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus], " which is a

skin infection.

>

> Cuts and scrapes experienced by officers on an almost daily basis in the

performance of their duties can get infected quickly in the facility, Freeman

said.

>

> " It is just a breeding ground, " she said.

>

> Freeman said not only does it cost the county money for inmate medication and

out-of-facility care when they are sick, it also costs the county in lost time

when detention officers are sick, as well as the expense of bringing in officers

to cover for those who are out sick - often at overtime pay.

>

> And county health insurance premiums also likely go up because of the number

of claims by detention center employees, she said.

>

> " It's very disheartening when you go to work every day and deal with these

issues, " Hendrix said.

>

> But the medical issues aren't all related to respiratory problems.

>

> Some inmates, intent on hurting themselves, find ways to capitalize on the

poor condition of the building.

>

> " We had one back in the maximum security area that took rusty paint chips off

the wall and cut their wrists, " Terrell said.

>

> Freeman said that under Sheriff DeRay Fincher's administration all windows at

the detention center were ordered to remain shut.

>

> That was for two reasons, Hendrix said: to reduce noise to the adjacent

neighborhood, where children play some 10 feet from the perimeter fence, and

because opening the windows meant the detention was " cooling the world " with its

air conditioning system.

>

> One of the concerns with the adjacent neighborhood was that children were

subjected to hearing profanity and even comments of a sexual nature emanating

from the facility.

>

> Until those windows were shut, however, " we didn't realize that the

ventilation is as bad as it is, " Hendrix said.

>

> " It's amazing that we don't have Legionnaires' disease, " Freeman said.

>

> A tour of the jail on Wednesday revealed widespread rust throughout the

facility, including along the ceiling line, around fixtures and along the floor.

In one evacuated cell, Hendrix was able to stick his finger through a hole in

the steel wall of a cell.

>

> " The back side of these cells is rusting in as well as out, " Hendrix said. " We

can knock all the surface rust off and paint, but it's obvious with the hole in

the wall that there is rust we can't see. "

>

> " It's not Legos - we can't take it apart and clean it, " Hendrix said. " We can

keep aesthetically patching everything, but it's not going to get rid of the

problem. "

>

> An occupied cell upstairs in A Block exhibited widespread, deep rust behind

plumbing fixtures.

>

> Hendrix also pointed out that when the detention center was built, the walls

were covered in household paint rather than epoxy, standard residential-grade

sheetrock was used and cabling to surveillance cameras is the same as that used

in homes. That has led to a lot of maintenance and health issues at the

facility.

>

> Why worry about conditions for inmates?

>

> " Everyone that's in this facility has a father and mother, husband or wife,

children out there in the community, so it's our job to protect them, " Terrell

said. " They're still human beings and we have to care for them. "

>

> " It's the county's responsibility and our job, " Hendrix said.

>

> Hendrix pointed out that there is a common misconception that those in the

detention center have lost their rights, but that is incorrect. In fact, some

are being held before their cases have been heard.

>

> Poor design is a theme in the building, officials agreed.

>

> Hendrix pointed out two sets of showers in A Block, which contains 76 beds,

that can't be used because of water issues. That leaves only two single shower

stalls to serve the entire population of that cell block, which was at 79 as of

Wednesday.

>

> One of the design issues is the use of stationary shower heads that are aimed

out rather than down, resulting in what Hendrix said is a 40-foot puddle of

water in the day room when showers are in use.

>

> That creates a slip hazard, but also adds to moisture issues in an already

poorly-vented area, he said.

>

> The upstairs showers can't be used, because the water coming from them

" creates a waterfall down here, " Hendrix said, referring to the downstairs day

room where inmates congregate.

>

> On Wednesday night, 17 female inmates were returned to the female detention

block at the jail from Rabun County.

>

> Terrell said he doesn't want the public just to take his word and that of his

employees for the condition of the jail.

>

> " I invite everybody to come see it, " Terrell said. " It's not my jail, it's

Habersham County's. "

>

> " We're happy to give tours, " Hendrix said.

>

> As of presstime, no county commissioners have toured the facility.

>

> " Several of them asked about it, but none of them have been out here to look

at it, " Terrell said when asked.

>

> Assistant County Manager/Finance Director Tinsley " came over and walked

through, " Terrell said.

>

> " has asked us about looking for grants to help us build [a new jail], "

Terrell said.

>

> But currently there is no design for a new detention facility.

>

> " We need to get something on paper in case we get the funding to build one, "

Terrell said. " We need to start planning tomorrow. In 10 more years, the

integrity of the cells are going to come into question with the rust problems. "

>

> " We can't wait until this building is condemned and have to house everybody

out while we build a jail, " Terrell said.

>

> This time, however, the facility needs to be designed for future capacity, not

current numbers, he said. It also should be a quality job that is warranted

against defects.

>

> " It can't be that every 10-15 years the sheriff comes to the county and says I

need $20 million or whatever [to replace the jail], " Terrell said.

>