Codington County Commissioners Review Jail Construction Progress, Quality Control Plans in Watertown
- Steve Jurrens
- 13 hours ago
- 2 min read
Northeast Radio SD News – Watertown, SD - The Codington County Commissioners received updates on the ongoing jail and law enforcement center construction project during their Sept. 1 meeting, including discussions on structural upgrades to unfinished spaces and the hiring of an independent quality control agent.
Commissioner Lee Gabel, acting as the project liaison, delivered the updates to the board following the facility’s recent structural topping-out ceremony.
Jail Construction Progress and Shell Space
Interior work is progressing at the site, with cinder block walls currently being erected. However, several areas still require concrete pouring, particularly in Area A, the northern section of the structure designated for male housing.
Gabel noted that a portion of Area A was designed as an unfinished shell space with a gravel floor to accommodate future expansion. The county is now seeking estimates to lay concrete and install necessary plumbing in that space during the current construction phase.
“We’re looking at the possibility of maybe just going ahead and concreting that in and getting an estimate on that with the necessary plumbing,” Gabel said. “It may be worth doing that. Number one, it could be used as storage more easily. If you never do fill it in, number two, it would make it a lot easier... down the road. It would be a major step out of our way for future commissioners.”
Commissioning Agent Proposals
The county is also moving forward with plans to hire a commissioning agent for the facility. The role serves as an independent quality control measure separate from the general contractor.
Project management firm Tegra is currently gathering requests for proposals for the position, which carries a $70,000 budget within the overall project.
The commissioning agent checks that systems are built to exact specifications and holds vendors accountable to warranties for the various mechanical and electrical systems throughout the building.
Two Trees IT Contract Renewal
During the meetings’ old business, Gabel confirmed the county has allocated sufficient funding in the 2027 provisional commissioners’ budget to renew its managed IT services contract with Two Trees.
While exact renewal costs were previously unknown, Gabel said the provisional budget amount will fully cover the contract, alongside new cybersecurity training.
“There is enough for what we put in the provisional budget to cover that, as well as some additional training,” Gabel said. “Some anti-phishing training basically for the employees.”
