Pike County Fiscal Court voted May 21 to hire Cintas under an existing cooperative contract to upgrade the fire alarm system at the county jail and adjacent floors of the hall of justice following a failed inspection.

County staff said the jail failed its fire alarm inspection several weeks earlier and the inspector is expected to return in June; the court was told the county must have a plan and progress to remedy the deficiencies. The work covers five floors of the building and the county received a quote through the OmniPartners cooperative that does not require separate competitive bidding.

The quoted total, presented to the court, was $85,082.38. County staff and the court said the project cost will be split between the jail budget and a hall-of-justice renewal line item because some floors covered by the upgrade are not part of the jail.

A court member moved to hire Cintas for the stated amount; another commissioner seconded, and the motion passed on a unanimous roll-call vote.

Officials said the county needs to have a plan in place before the inspector returns and emphasized the work is important given the presence of federal inmates and increased scrutiny of the facility.

The court instructed staff to complete contract paperwork and proceed with the upgrade using the cooperative contract pricing.