Supervisors Approve $567,000 Shower Repair Bill for Banning Jail

Riverside County supervisors agreed this week to withdraw $567,000 from a reserve fund to fix faulty showers that have led to structural damage at the Smith Correctional Facility in Banning.

but the Board of Supervisors declined to take action until it was clear who ultimately may be responsible for the defects.

EDA Director Rob Field confirmed at Tuesday's meeting that the designer, whom he didn't name, appeared to be at fault. Field told the board the county would pursue reimbursement for the cost of repairs.

"We will be engaged in further discussions with them," he said. "I wish it hadn't gone this way. We always endeavor to avoid this kind of outcome."

According to the EDA, the wrong sealant appeared to have been applied to the shower walls, permitting water to seep through, resulting in leaks. Cracks have also developed in the bathroom floors.

"There's always a concern about quality. That's something we need to be looking at with regard to the engineering," Supervisor John Tavaglione said.

Field said the leaks had not disrupted jail operations.

The structural flaws appeared in a wing added onto the Smith Correctional Facility as part of an $80 million expansion completed in 2011. Three new housing units were constructed, covering 173,000 square feet, for a total of 582 additional inmate beds.