News : Vinton Today goes to jail....the new one!

Electricians, plumbers and mason work side-by-side as LEC project continues.

Masons carried, cut, laid and grouted blocks for an interior wall.

Masonry crews build an interior wall in what will eventually be the prison area of the new LEC.

Work is progressing well on LEC, says county project manager Jerry Petermeier.

Work on LEC is progressing well, because of efficient crews and job leader who "knows his stuff."

Concrete crews, masons, plumbers and electricians work side-by-side in a carefully choreographed effort to keep the Benton County Law Enforcement Center on schedule.

And, says Project Manager Jerry Petermeier, the building is coming along well.

On Wednesday morning, crews from J& J Masonry were building an interior wall while electricians and plumbers were placing their lines under what will soon be the master control room of the jail.

From that room, jailers will be able to monitor the prisoners in every cell block and area of the prison.

Also on Wednesday, we put on a hard hat and accompanied Petermeier around the job site, listening as he explained what crews were doing, and why he is confident the job is being done well and on schedule.

Crews from Kleiman Construction were also there, working on several areas.

The main reason for the success of the project, said Petermeier, is the people who are doing it.

“Travis James, the job superintendent, really knows his stuff,” said Petermeier.

One of James' main jobs is to arrange the work areas and schedules so that the different crews can work in the same area at the same time without hindering each other. It also helps, said Petermeier, that most of the men on the crew from Kleiman Construction on this job have been with that company for 15, 20 or more years.

“They know what they’re doing,” he said.

As we walked into the work area, Petermeier pointed out a truckload of concrete mix being unloaded. It was made here in Vinton, at Twin Cities Concrete.

“It makes you feel good to know that some of our products for this job were made right here in Vinton,” said Petermeier.

Other than the weather, there have been no significant problems, said Petermeier.

James and his crews have placed a thick layer of gravel over most of the worksite to prevent the area from becoming muddy, so they can use their equipment even if it has rained.

Along with the walls, passers by can notice three structures rising from the site. Two of them are 911 rooms – one for the radio equipment, one for the dispatchers who use it. Those rooms are made with poured concrete walls and ceiling to make them able to resist the most damaging winds.

The other structure is a single row of blocks that rises near what will soon be the main entry.

“That’s only for appearance,” explains Petermeier, adding that that wall will be covered with the limestone blocks removed from the old LEC.