NIOBRARA COUNTY– The question of what to do with the Old Jail continued to be dis- cussed by the county commissioners and Leslie Stewart on September 16.
Stewart presented the commissioners with six different elements for bids. The first element involved the abating of all asbestos and the de- molition of the existing Old Jail. The second element consisted of the abating of all asbestos and the demolition of all but one cell block within the Old Jail. The third element entailed the abating of all asbestos and the demolition of the porch. The fourth element stipulated asbestos removal and the demolition of only the garage. The fifth element entailed abating all of the asbestos while leaving the building standing without a porch or garage. The sixth element called for the appropriate disposal of all of the material that remains from the demolition. This would include any and all hazardous material.
Stewart raised the possibility of scraping all of the lead paint and the application of new paint.e Obviously, such a course of action would be irrelevant if the Old Jail is demolished.
The commissioners weighed in on the options Stewart presented.
“I like the six things that you have,” commissioner Ellaine Griffith said. “No matter what we do, we have to take care of the asbestos.”
The chief question has been what to do with the building. Stewart wanted to make the commissioners aware that there was carpet under the tiles upstairs that would need to be cleaned up. The cost of keeping the building keeping the building will be higher. Stewardt asked the commissioners about the process of bidding out the project. The commissioners decided they would like to see how much the various costs would be with the Old Jail clean-up.
The commissioners will make their final decisioner after the the three bids are presented. They will then publish the opening for bids in the newspaper and the county's website.
