It took more than $2,000 to repair the damage caused during the New Year’s Day escape of a federal inmate from the county jail, Commission Chairman Lynn Sasser said Monday.

The damage was done when T.C. Harris pried open a hole in the exercise yard fence and scaled the outside fence before escaping. He was captured nine hours later in Mobile County.

During the commission meeting, Sasser said the sheriff had reported repairs to the jail were finished and he would like to propose further modifications to the fence.

“The sheriff proposes to extend the exercise yard behind the work release dome,” Sasser said. “It would keep the gate between the sally port and the work release facility locked at all times. It also meets all the requirements of the state fire marshal so it’s not a fire hazard with them being back there.”

The commission approved the project, which is estimated to cost $6,145, and Petty said monies from the capital outlay fund will be used to cover the project.

In addition to the construction project at the jail, Sasser also reported that $42,000 in roof repairs at the health department was completed – and at no cost to the county after a $25,000 contribution from the Solon and Martha Dixon Foundation with the remainder of the funding handled by other funds.

He also said specs for the roof project at the courthouse are nearly finished, but final approval by the Alabama Historic Commission is needed before bids can be let.

In other business, the commission:

Reappointed Kristi Stamnes as the National Incident Management System point of contact.

Approved a request to solicit an Attorney General’s opinion on the rules and regulations concerning bingo in Covington County.