By Bill Dolan
The Times
CROWN POINT, Ind. — Lake County commissioners took another step to slim down the Lake County Jail budget by privatizing its food services.
The officials announced four catering firms are bidding to feed inmates next year: Aramark, of Philadelphia; Summit Food Service, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Tiger Correction Services, of Jonesboro, Arkansas; and Trinity Services Group, of Oldsmar, Florida.
Commissioners took their bids under advisement to give the jail’s staff time to calculate a simple price comparison.
They announced a year ago they wanted to reduce the approximately $1.9 million the county now spends annually to employ 14 cooks and purchase food for about 64 juvenile and more than 800 adult inmates.
Last year, they hired Aramark to outsource food service for the 170 inmates of the Lake County Community Corrections Center, a state-financed minimum security facility used as an alternative to state prison.
Community Corrections Executive Director Kellie Bittorf said at the time Aramark cut her food budget in half.
Commissioners requested proposals on feeding Lake Juvenile Center inmates, too, but one bidder hadn’t provided them necessary documents before the end of last week’s meeting and the other declined to make a bid on grounds they needed more time.
Commissioner Mike Repay, D-Hammond, said they believe the special diets juvenile inmates need may make the idea impractical.
In other news, commissioners introduced Mariel Chambers, of Crown Point, as the county’s new director of Weights and Measures Department, which ensures the accuracy of hundreds of gasoline pumps and commercial scales. The department has six employees and an annual budget of $203,800.
Commissioners also hired Matthew Fech as the new county attorney, replacing John Dull, who is going into semi-retirement after 36 years on the job.
They voted to pay $250,000 from this November to the end of 2020 to the Lake County Economic Alliance, a development group, to provide incentive to new businesses in the county.
Repay said commissioners previously have supported the group financially, but are increasing the amount, to ensure the county can better coordinate their efforts.
The Alliance and the county continue working on a plan to bring a $30 million warehouse to the Interstate 65 and Ind. 2 interchange, east of Lowell.
Commissioner Jerry Tippy, R-Schererville, said the project is awaiting the installation of sewer lines by a private company that recently purchase the Apple Valley Utilities. He said once that is accomplished the warehouse could break ground in about a year.