County taking new approach to jail bids
By Brent Shrum, Western News Reporter
Lincoln County is advertising for a construction manager to oversee a project to expand and remodel the county jail after initial bids from contractors came in at double the anticipated project cost.
The hope is that a construction manager will be able to bring the project in closer to the budgeted $500,000 to $600,000 by negotiating with contractors and deviating from the architect¹s narrow specifications where necessary, said Lincoln County Commissioner Rita Windom.
³They still would have to clear it with the architect,² she said.
A construction manager would agree to see the project to completion at a specific price, Windom said. The county is asking firms interested in providing construction management services to submit proposals by Aug. 11. Plans are to have the major construction completed by this fall, Windom said. The jail and the county sheriff¹s office would remain operational during construction.
Four bids for the project were received in late June and ranged from about $1.1 million to $1.25 million. The project had been estimated by the architectural firm L¹Heureux Page Werner at around $600,000.
The jail is located in the courthouse basement and while built for 25 to 30 inmates has held up to 42. The renovation is designed to meet security and safety needs while adding more space and delaying the need to build a new facility, estimated at around $4.5 million.
A task force organized two years ago to work on the jail issue initially considered a simpler remodel estimated at around $300,000 but eventually decided on a more extensive project.
L¹Heureux Page Werner¹s design calls for an addition to the north end of the jail along with some remodeling within the existing facility. Four new cells would be added with two beds each. A holding cell and a padded cell would also be added, each with a capacity of one inmate. An option for double bunking in five existing single cells would allow the jail¹s capacity to be expanded by up to 15 additional inmates after the renovation.
The addition would include a new covered secure entryway leading to a new booking area. A new control room would allow central electronic control of doors within the facility. Showers would be installed in all cells that don¹t currently have them, improving security.
As part of the same project, the dispatch center adjacent to the jail will also be remodeled to improve efficiency and security.
The county has secured a $500,000 loan from a state fund to finance the project. The loan would be paid back over the next 10 years with money the county receives under the Payments in Lieu of Taxes program for federal land.