BROWNSTOWN

Commissioners selected a Seymour-based roofing business to put a new roof on the Jackson County Jail.

During a meeting Tuesday, they voted 2-0 to select Royalty Roofing from five other bids for the 46,508-square-foot project. Commissioner Drew Markel was not present.

Royalty bid the lowest at $286,802.37, which was lower than what the county earmarked for the project.

No timetable on when the project may begin was not available at the meeting.

The roof is the original one from when the jail opened in the summer of 2000.

Sheriff Rick Meyer said there are several areas throughout the building, including pods and offices, where water will leak during heavy rains.

“It’s a flat roof, and after 20 years, things will get worn out and bad,” he said. “It’s just time to replace it. It’s a big project because there is a lot of roof up there.”

The highest bid was from Southern Roofing of Columbus, which bid $529,500.

The county also received bids from Insulated Roofing Contractors of New Albany for $399,990, HRC Roofing of Columbus for $473,500 and Blackmore and Buckner Roofing of Indianapolis for $473,450.