The good news? Staff won’t be having to trapse down the road to use a kitchen to feed the hundreds of inmates who – temporary or otherwise – find themselves in the Polk County Jail.
Earlier in the year the County Commission approved funding to provide for the remodeling work to be completed at the Polk County Jail, which were completed in recent days and allowing normal kitchen operations to resume.
The work was done alongside the regular maintenance duties of Sheriff’s Office Maintenance Director, Tim Tolbert, and Maintenance Technician, Greg Mason.
“Outside of overseeing routine maintenance and daily upkeep around the facility, Tolbert and Mason worked tirelessly to bring this project to completion,” the County noted in a press release. “Thank you for your hard work, gentlemen.”
During the summer remodeling work, jail staff got help from the Polk School District by allowing food to be prepared in the kitchen at Cedartown Middle School.
“Dr. Thomas and the staff at Cedartown Middle School were so gracious as to lend us their facilities in order for us to continue providing meals needed,” the County posted about the updated kitchen work on Tuesday on social media, and later in a press release. “Our team is sincerely grateful for the generosity and accommodation in helping us see this project through in a timely manner.”
Work on the Polk County Jail kitchens is one of several remodeling efforts underway at the facility.
Earlier in the year, Sheriff Moats and the County Commission confronted each other about the state of some of the pods where inmates are kept, and work already underway the county hadn’t immediately approved.
The county later approved a $1.3 million spending package to renovate pods to allow for expanded housing at the facility.
Photos provided by Polk County’s new Public Information Officer, Olivia Smith. -KtE
