The Starke County Commissioners have approved the purchase of a screen to keep commissary trash from the jail out of the city’s sewer system.
Vendor Duperon will custom build the screen for a cost of $77,850. Jail Maintenance Director Tony Mildice says installation over the existing sewer outlet will not be a problem, as the necessary electrical conduit is already in place. Waste that gets caught in the screen will empty into a receptacle which will be emptied once or twice a week by the jail maintenance staff.
Knox Wastewater Superintendent Kelly Clemons says the device will be adequate to address sewer line problems caused by trash flushed down the toilets by inmates.
The commissioners last week agreed to pay $20,000 towards the screen from the cumulative capital development fund. Sheriff Bill Dulin agreed to cover the rest of the cost from his department’s commissary account. Payments will be spread over six months, with the first due after the screen is delivered.
Mildice says it is expected to take between eight and 12 weeks to build.
