At Monday’s meeting of the Brown County Commissioners Court, approval was given for plumbing repairs at the Juvenile Justice Center.

The buildings of the Center are owned by the County, and are leased to, and operate under the name of, Rite of Passage – The Oaks.  Recently the building has exhibited cracks in the floors and walls, a result of leaks in the sewer lines.  The sewer pipes are made of cast-iron but have reached their service life expectancy and are beginning to fail.  Kitchen and sewage waste are leaking under the building, causing structural and odor problems.

An inspection by Black Plumbing found the problem to be more extensive than originally believed.  Black Plumbing proposed to solve the problem by relining the inside of the cast iron pipes with a sprayed epoxy liner.  This approach will avoid having to break the slab and dig up the lines and will save money.  Still, the cost for the job was quoted at $199,785.

The Commissioners voted approval to the quote, citing spending authority from the Discretionary Exemption chapter 262.024 of the Texas Local Government Code.  County Auditor Jennifer Robison said about half of the money is available from funds set aside by the County from rent paid by Rite of Passage.  The other half will come from ARPA funds (American Rescue Plan Act) that are not yet dedicated.

Black Plumbing said the job will take two to four weeks to complete.

In other business, the Commissioners agreed to keep the current burn ban in effect for now.