County's mold removal bill is near $150,000

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March 15, 2002

County's mold removal bill is near $150,000

By STEVE SMITH, Times Staff Writer

An El Dorado firm will be paid for the work it has done on cleaning up mold

problems in the county's jail-judicial building.

County commissioners met Tuesday with Idleman of El Dorado

ServiceMaster.

Since mid-February mold clean-up work has been ongoing in the building.

County Administrator Jay Newton said both he and County Counsel

Norman Manley talked with commissioners Tuesday with regard to the work

which has been done by ServiceMaster.

While ServiceMaster had not been working under a contract, Newton said, the

sheriff's department had asked that the work be done.

With that work having been accomplished, he said, an obligation now existed

on the part of the county.

When all of ServiceMaster's work has been completed, Newton estimated, its

total bill will come to about $150,000.

Newton said county commissioners are the only officials who are authorized

to enter into contract agreements on behalf of the county.

No other elected or appointed county officials are vested with that

authority, he said; however, he added, the lack of a contract did not

minimize the work which had already been done by ServiceMaster.

Newton said Idleman has acted in a straight-forward manner with the county,

and has been " very open and communicative " in accomplishing his work.

Newton said the payments to ServiceMaster and American Metropolitan will be

made out of the county's capital reserve fund.

Otherwise, he said, those charges would have to be made to the jail and

courts, which do not have those funds budgeted.

A new jail is now under construction east of El Dorado, while work has also

started on the new County judicial building in the 200 block of South Gordy.