Nye County Sheriff Tony DeMeo left the Bob Ruud Community Center with $1.02 million in improvements last week, after county commissioners approved the purchase of 14 patrol vehicles and a $576,930 jail surveillance system.

The surveillance system was approved after three previous attempts dating back to 2004, Nye County Purchasing Director Judy Dyer explained.

Last year, a sole bid of $748,765 with numerous exemptions was rejected by the commission. The maintenance contract on that bid was $74,506 for three years of maintenance after the initial one year warranty.

County officials traveled to the Clark County Detention Center to view their surveillance system, operated by Prism Systems Corp. of Sandy, Utah, Dyer said.

The surveillance system will be installed in the Pahrump, Beatty and Tonopah jails. The contract was awarded to Prism outside of the competitive bidding process, after the county received only one bid earlier this year, which was deemed unresponsive due to the many exclusions, Dyer's report states.

A maintenance contract for the system just approved will cost $5,820 per month after the one year warranty expires.

Prism Systems agreed to consult with Nye County officials for complete camera coverage.

The proposal doesn't include pan, tilt or zoom cameras on the exterior of the jail, which can be expensive, the company states.

The intercom stations in the inmate areas have been damaged or completely removed, a security risk Prism will replace with high security, vandal proof, intercoms.

The system can be transferred to a new jail if one is constructed. DeMeo had pushed county commissioners to fund the construction of a new jail, possibly on county land on East Mesquite Avenue, but recently that discussion has been put on hold, pending the decision on a federal detention center in Pahrump.

The only exclusion in the contract is a provision that Prism won't provide an air-conditioner to cool the equipment.

Dyer recalled the initial attempts to fix the jail surveillance system were mainly band-aid repairs, partial replacement of cameras, while the intercom system wasn't addressed at all.

The only question from commissioners was from Roberta "Midge" Carver who wanted to know how long the equipment would last and where the money could come from.

Nye County Sheriff's Lt. Jack Hennigan predicted the system would last a minimum of five to seven years. Dyer said the money will come out of the payment equal to taxes Nye County receives from the U.S. Department of Energy for the land value of Yucca Mountain.

County commissioners have in the past year been spending money to spruce up the county jails.

On. Jan. 2, commissioners spent $19,950 to replace the jail intercoms and door controls in Beatty.

A new dishwasher was purchased for the Tonopah Jail last August for $6,640.

Last June commissioners spent $1,690 for an ice machine at the Pahrump jail, $3,250 for a new refrigerator and $7,000 for 12 security lock sets.

In October commissioners spent $7,250 to replace a sally door port at the Pahrump jail.

Sheriff's deputies will be driving 14 new vehicles after commissioners accepted a $447,476 bid from Avondale Dodge in Phoenix. It will also be paid out of county funds for Yucca Mountain.

The sheriff's vehicles will have the same white color with blue emblem, but a slightly different design.

Dyer said Avondale Dodge submitted the lowest of six bids. All bidders submitted proposals on Dodge vehicles, except Bill Heard Chevrolet, which bid Chevys, she said. The unsuccessful bidders included a Pahrump dealership.

The successful bid includes five Dodge Chargers at $144,273; four Dodge Durango 4 x 4 patrol vehicles at $141,400; three Dodge Durangos for the K-9 units, $95,502; and two Dodge 1500 Quad Cab 4 x 4 pickups, $66,301.

The only difference in the bids concerned the overhead light bars, a difference of a few hundred dollars, Lt. Frank Jarvis said. DeMeo said the vehicles will be able to start up after four and a half hours of operating the overhead light bars.

DeMeo said smaller six cylinder engines like on the old Ford Crown Victorias may be easier on gas, but there's more drain on the engine for sheriff's work than the new Dodge Chargers equipped with a 5.7 liter, HEMI V-8 engine.

The sheriff told Nye County Commissioner Butch Borasky the sheriffs department also chose not to use vehicles that use alternative fuels, like 85 ethanol fuel, which gets fewer miles per gallon than conventional gasoline engines.

Jarvis said the vehicles that are being replaced will be used for spare parts or for less essential patrol units. He said a lot of sheriff's patrol vehicles have racked up a lot of mileage.