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New Jackson County jail specifications to be complete April 1
PASCAGOULA, Mar 19, 2013 (The Sun Herald - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
An architect for the new Jackson County jail said bid specifications should be ready for the Board of Supervisors to approve April 1 and could be in the hands of contractors by April 5.
"That's good because there are contractors anxiously waiting," one supervisor said. The county has been going through the process of completing plans for a new, modular jail since October.
Last summer county leaders voted to can plans for a traditional brick and mortar structure and go with pre-built cells for a better price, and better inmate management and safety.
In a memo to county leaders, The Goldberg Group of architects said the county could open bids and award a contract as soon as mid-May.
Supervisors on Monday decided to go with one bid package, which means one contractor will handle the construction of the building.
Larry Goldberg, with The Goldberg Group, told county leaders Monday that the structure is expected to cost the county between $26 million and $27 million and that going with one bid package will save money.
Goldberg said they originally planned to bid the foundation work separately to save time, but found it would save no more than a few weeks.
Had a two-bid package cut six to eight weeks off the construction time, "it might have been worth it," Goldberg said.
The jail will have pre-built modular components forming three pods that come together like the spokes of a wheel with a guards station in the center of each pod. The basic jail will house 730, Goldberg said, but has room to expand with an additional pod.
There also will be administrative offices, cafeteria, inmate intake and other areas besides the pods.
Because the structure is modular, the metal cells will be required to pass specifications of the State Fire Marshal's division on manufactured housing.
But the cell doors already will meet new federal requirements to protect inmates from sexual assault.
They are designed to allow a guard to see better inside the cell without compromising privacy, Goldberg said.
___ (c)2013 The Sun Herald (Biloxi, Miss.) Visit The Sun Herald (Biloxi, Miss.)
at www.sunherald.com Distributed by MCT Information Services
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