The Garfield County Board of Commissioners approved a contract award to FCI Constructors Inc. on Aug. 11 for the construction of a housing‑unit divider wall at the Garfield County Jail in an amount not to exceed $849,252.

County procurement staff told the board the county posted an invitation for bids under the Garfield County Procurement Code on July 8 and received a single, responsive bid that closed Aug. 5. Staff recommended award; commissioners agreed and authorized the chair to sign the contract.

Sheriff’s office staff and facility managers explained the jail will use a 1‑inch detention mesh grid rather than a 2‑inch option. The 1‑inch mesh reduces the ability of inmates to climb the walls or pass contraband, officials said. The project will subdivide a medium pod so that minimum‑security inmates can be separated within the medium pod; jail staff said this configuration should allow consolidation of deputy posts, reducing the need for two deputies to be constantly posted at separate pods.

County staff said construction will be staged while the jail remains occupied and that contingency plans exist with other jails should the county need temporary inmate housing. County presenters estimated contractor mobilization could take a few months, with a construction window of roughly 90 days once activity begins; staff said the project comes in about $150,000 under the original budget.

Motion and outcome: The board moved, seconded and approved the contract award to FCI Constructors Inc. in an amount not to exceed $849,252 and authorized the chair to sign. The county procurement and sheriff’s office will manage construction, and final contractor schedules and mobilization notices will precede work inside the occupied facility.