JAIL PROJECT IS GROWING BEYOND THE BUDGET

Some Background Information on the jail expansion from July 2012 with explanatory notations added.

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

July 16, 2012

Jail Expansion – Architect Selected for Next Phase of Project

At their regular meeting on Tuesday, June 17, 2012, the Dearborn County Board of Commissioners voted to accept the Jail Architect recommendation as put forward by a team of professionals who made up the County’s Jail Architect Interview Committee. This vote authorizes County Administrator, Terri Randall, to negotiate an agreement with Atlanta-based Architectural firm, Rosser International and their local Engineering Services partner, American StructurePoint for the final design and construction of the $9.3 million County jail renovation and expansion. [NOTE: The jail budget was capped at $9.3 million by Council. The contingencies or cost over- runs might put it very close to requiring the public to vote. The committee is proposing some options that will cost over $1 million more.]

Similar to the process used when Maxwell Construction was hired as Construction Manager, the Board of Commissioners wanted a rigorous selection procedure to ensure the County would get a quality Architect who could provide the best design for the money and be aggressive with their fees to save cost on the project. The Interview Committee included: Maynard Barrett, County Council, Brian Monahan, Asst. Jail Commander, Bryan Messmore, Prosecutor’s office, Maxwell Construction and their internal Jail Architect (consultant), and Terri Randall, County Administrator. Eight firms with strong Jail design experience were solicited with seven submitting responses. Of those seven, two partnered in their presentation and one elected not to interview. This resulted in five quality architectural firms moving through the screening process. Each firm went through a 2-hour interview and finalists were moved to the next phase. The second phase included a detailed discussion of fees aimed at reducing variable expenses (like mileage) for the County, a review of their financial stability, and reference checks on past jail projects.

The preliminary jail design architect, RQAW, has a long history on the jail expansion and renovation project. However, County Council requested the project be put out to a competitive bid in November 2011, when they approved funding the project. The motion to bid out the Architect was made by Councilman Messmore in an effort to ensure the best design and improve the County’s competitive position for the final phases of the project. Mrs. Randall notes that “RQAW did a great job in their interview process and the County is appreciative of their services over the years. However, in the end, the Committee felt that Rosser International had a more robust portfolio, better quality and quantity of staff and resources, and better satisfied the County’s other stringent review requirements.” [NOTE: Mark Van Allen of Rosser was formerly presenting for RQAW on this jail project. Seems like this might not be a big change. He is already very familiar with the county jail project.]

Rosser International will be performing much of their work through their Lexington, Kentucky office with travel distances no further than what the County would have seen with the Indianapolis-based architectural firms. Also, the County believes the knowledge of the local engineers at StructurePoint relative to soil conditions, permitting, and structural design matters in this County will be valuable to the project as a whole. [NOTE: American Structurepointe through their own PAC called DPBG PAC has contributed heavily to Kevin Lynch's campaign- $500 in teh primary and $1500 in the main election. They have also contributed $250 to Art Little's campaign. Now that these two are elected commissioners, will they have to fill out conflict of interest forms prior to dealing with the jail?]

During the presentation, Mrs. Randall told Commissioners “only two of the three firms based in Indiana expressed interest in the project. By expanding the competitive field to include larger firms as well as specialty firms in nearby States, the dynamics of the selection process changed. We raised the bar and the result was a very creative and interactive interview process where everyone felt comfortable asking the tough questions.”

The next step in the project will involve forming a multi-disciplinary internal Jail Committee to include representatives from the jail, justice system, maintenance, commissioner’s office, and County Council. The team will meet yet this month to begin working closely with the Architect and Construction Manager to finalize the design and budget prior to the end of 2012. The County anticipates construction will start during the second quarter of 2013.

Following the meeting, Commissioner Tom Orschell shared that he had sat in as an observer through the interviews. “I am proud of the process and commitment of the committee. This was a very thorough screening and everyone took their job very seriously. Selecting the right architect will result in more for our money, a quality project, and a good handle on future operations cost of the larger facility” said Orschell.

For further information concerning this release, contact Terri Randall, County Administrator, at 812/532-2085 or trandall@dearborncounty.in.gov.

 

This release was obtained from the County website. Notations in bold were added as were the red highlights.

Christine Brauer Mueller

Lawsrenceburg Township