NATCHEZ — The Adams County Board of Supervisors approved Monday a contract to make crucial repairs to elevators in the county’s courthouse and juvenile justice center.

The supervisors unanimously voted to award the contract to EMR Services LLC for $63,000. District 2 Supervisor David Carter was not present at the time of the vote.

The repairs and upgrades to the Adams County Courthouse’s hydraulic passenger elevator will include the installation of a new power unit, electronic motor, valve body and a host of other parts that bring the decades-old elevator up to code.

Though the courthouse elevator comprises a majority of the costs, the repairs to the Adams County Juvenile Detention Center’s elevator are just as, if not more pressing, officials have said.

Currently, the elevator has a structural problem that causes the right side of the walls to move while the elevator is being lifted. The installation of a new rail bracket to fix the issue will cost approximately $2,400 of the total cost between the two elevator projects.

Purchasing clerk Frances Bell said though the EMR contract would cost “just a tad” more than a similar offer from Midsouth Elevator, LLC, consultant Bob Jones recommended EMR, because the county is already under contract with them.

Franks added that Jones would also continue to seek a reduced price.

Board Attorney Scott Slover said the board did not have to adhere to normal bidding law since the contract is for repairs and not construction, meaning the supervisors could select whichever bid as they saw fit.

When the board first discussed the elevator issues just more than a week prior, Circuit Court Judge Forrest “Al” Johnson spoke to the need for repairs, as he said the courthouse elevator carried “a bad reputation” for decades. He said the issue had gotten to a point where it factored into trials by affecting the selection of jurors, some of which could not make it up the courthouse steps while the elevator was out of commission.

During that meeting, Jones added that this project should ensure that particular elevator functions properly for the next 25 to 30 years.