On Monday, the Butler County Commission approved the hiring of Martin & Cobey Construction Company Inc. to act as on-site managers once work on the new county jail begins.

&#8220They will be our eyes and ears,” said Commission Chairman Jesse McWilliams. &#8220They are going to keep things in line and make sure we get what we pay for. They have a real good track record; they've been doing this for many years and we just need someone on the site.”

Bryan Moore, president of Martin and Cobey, first met with the commission in September 2005 about on-site management for the jail once a bond had been secured for construction. The county signed a $2.78 million general obligation warrant for the new jail during a special called meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 3.

Moore told the commission in September that his company would serve as the central management and go-between for architects and contractors working on the jail project. Martin and Cobey's fee will be five percent of the total cost of the finished jail and another employee will work 40 hours a week on-site and oversee the project at a cost of $5,000 per month.

County Engineer Dennis McCall reported that several road projects were underway on County Road 25 and County Road 30. He said County Road 30 would be closed this week for flood repairs due to damage suffered during Hurricane Dennis last year.

In other business, the commission:

n Approved a request by Butler County EMA Director Bob Luman to purchase a trailer from Jackson Honda in Andalusia to store and haul the county's EMA equipment. The cost is $7,000 for the trailer.

n Renewed McCall's contract with the county for four-years.

n Heard a report from jailer Al McKee. McKee told the commission there were currently 29 inmates housed in the county jail.