Prince William County detention board hears $1 million pipe-replacement estimate, will seek ADC fund-balance support

A board meeting on Nov. 16, 2022, included discussion of a major maintenance need at the Prince William County adult detention complex: replacing aging cast-iron piping in the main building.

An unidentified board member said a preliminary estimate to replace cast-iron piping on the first and second floors is "about 1000000 dollars." Staff said that figure is preliminary and that, once a firm cost is developed, they will prepare an agenda item asking the Board of County Supervisors to approve using the ADC fund balance to pay for the work. The presentation noted the main repair project began in May 2021 and that the third floor and underground sections are currently in better condition than the first and second floors.

County finance staff warned the board that the locality recently moved to a new cloud-based financial system and that verifying historical fund balances and transactions has caused delays; staff said reconciling records and confirming available ADC fund-balance amounts remains underway. Board members were told the funding request would typically appear on the supervisors' consent agenda once staff has a firm estimate.

Board members emphasized the age of the building — the main jail went into operation in 1982 — and expressed concern that pipe problems are likely to worsen. One board member noted some pipe bursts have occurred, that inmate housing has been adjusted to compensate, and that the project is an unbudgeted expense.

The board did not vote on the repair itself at the meeting; staff committed to return with a detailed cost estimate and a formal agenda item for the supervisors.