Aug. 16, 2019

By Marshanna Smith, Public Information Officer

Jackson County Executive’s Office

Please see the statement below from me, as spokesperson for the County Executive, regarding the downtown courthouse elevators:

“Yesterday, county staff identified a potential issue with one of the elevators in the downtown courthouse. County staff immediately shut down the elevator to allow the County’s elevator repair and maintenance contractor to assess the situation.  During that assessment, the issue was identified and a plan was immediately put in place to repair the elevator. We have been told by the contractor that the necessary repairs will be completed before the courthouse opens on Monday. 

“The County Executive shares the Presiding Judge’s concerns about the downtown courthouse elevators. That is why the County Executive has been advocating for the repair and modernization of the elevators since 2017. 

“Most recently, the County issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) in June for the full repair and modernization of the downtown elevators. Unfortunately, the only respondent’s proposal was rejected by the Compliance Review Office, which is not under the supervision of the County Executive.^[1] (see attached memo)

“Following notification of the proposal’s rejection on July 29, the bidder had 10 days to appeal. Following that 10-day appeal time period, county staff made modifications to the RFP based on feedback from prospective bidders and re-issued it on August 14. Responses to the current RFP are due by 2:00 p.m. on September 24 and the goals assigned by the Compliance Review Office have not changed from the initial RFP.

“The County Executive will continue to pursue all options within his authority to ensure the necessary repairs are completed as quickly as possible.”

^[1] The Compliance Review Officer is appointed by the County Legislature and is a staff member of the Legislative Auditor’s Office.