WITH 2 WEEKS LEFT ON GARZA' S TERM, KK BUSTERS HITS THE FAN

 Special to El Rrun-Rrun

For the past four months, hundreds of inmates at the Carrizales-Rucker Detention Center have not had access to hot water in their showers because of chronic breakdowns in the jail's hot water boilers. 

Now, with the end of his administration a scant two weeks away, the Sheriff Eric Garza administration has let out a contract to KK Buster Septic Tank Cleaning and Plumbing, of Brownsville, to replace the aging boilers.

What does a septic tank cleaner know about replacing industrial boilers?

"When Manny" Treviño (the incoming new sheriff in January) had a walk-though at the jail, they told him the boilers hadn't been working for the last four months and inmates had to bathe in cold water," said a jailer. "We expected to have a plumbing contractor remove and install them, but the job went to KK Busters."

The problem is compounded because the jail was built around the boilers and they have to be cut and removed because the boilers won't fit through the doors, said the jailer. Their replacements have to be brought in and installed where the old machinery was in place. 

"Many people will say that since they are prisoners, they don't really matter," he said. "But sometimes little things like that are very important when you are tying to manage a jail," he said. "The jail is kept very cold with its air conditioning to being with. Having inmates take cold showers in that environment is bad and makes it more difficult for us to maintain good order in the jail. It's a different world in there."

When questioned if the commissioners court had ben told of the problem, the jailers sad that they had notified county maintenance, with little success.

"They tried to fix the problem, but they are general maintenance, not plumbing specialists," he said. "They would come and try to fix them, but they only broke down again soon after. Let's see if Manny doesn't inherit the problem after the KK Busters try to install the new equipment."