ESCANABA — Delta County will be responsible for some additional costs for work on a new Delta County Correctional Facility at the Delta County Service Center, County Administrator Philip Strom said. Strom gave members of the Delta County Board of Commissioners an update Tuesday.

“We’re nearing the completion of this project,” Strom said. A “punch list” inspection, in which the project’s architects and construction managers toured the facility and reviewed fine details of its construction to see if any problems needed to be addressed, took place last month.

However, a change order has been submitted by Miron Construction and various subcontractors involved with the contract to reflect additional project expenses.

“It is going to cost a little bit more to finish this project than what was originally anticipated,” Strom said. Expenses listed in the change order included the demolition and replacement of drywall in the renovated portion of the service center building for $42,192 and the reinforcement of steel for detention doors in drywall partitions for $32,523, among others.

Strom noted the change order was partially a result of the process used for the correction facility’s establishment.

“We decided to build it as we designed it, so to speak, and go out in multiple bid (packages),” he said. He noted this process has allowed for the project to be finished sooner, but made it more difficult to plan out project expenses ahead of time.

The contract for the correctional facility project is expected to grow to $17,233,488, which Strom said would be an increase of roughly 1 percent (or $159,086) from the contract’s previous total of $17,074,402.

“I think that that’s pretty good in an $18 million project, to miss the mark by 1 percent,” he said.

Strom also provided information on funds the county could use to pay for the additional costs — namely, the general fund, the capital outlay fund, the residual equity transfer fund or the service center fund.

County Treasurer Tom Sabor and former County Administrator Ryan Bergman provided Strom with advice on this matter.

“They both suggested that any payment that the county makes to finish the jail project should come from the residual equity fund,” Strom said. This fund, which serves as a savings fund for the county, currently contains about $6.5 million.

As Strom hopes to include any remaining expenses for the correctional facility project in this change order, no official decisions related to the change order were made by the board Tuesday.

In other business, the board:

– okayed a contract with district court employees represented by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.

– heard an update on Michigan State University Extension from Extension Educators Monica Jean and Stephanie Ostrenga.

– approved a remonumentation grant agreement and grant application for 2019.

– discussed a CUPPAD grant opportunity.

– approved a meeting schedule for 2019. The board is scheduled to meet on the first and third Tuesday of each month of the new year; however, in order to avoid a conflict with New Year’s Day, the board’s first meeting of 2019 was moved to Jan. 8. The board will also have statutory meetings on April 9 and Oct. 8.

– approved the posting of a job opening for a plumbing/mechanical inspector/plan reviewer position.

– tabled a decision on whether or not to support “Raise the Age,” a legislative package aiming to increase the age of juvenile court jurisdiction in Michigan from 17 to 18 years of age, until the board’s next meeting. This meeting is scheduled for Dec. 18.

– ratified the re-appointment of William LaMarch to the Soldier’s Relief Commission.

– approved out-of-county travel for Delta Conservation District Executive Director Rory Mattson and Delta County Parks Manager Steve Wery, who will be attending a DNR Trust Fund award ceremony downstate.