Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety Facilities topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
County OKs design contract for detention center mezzanine enclosures; larger construction funding deferred
Summary
The Board approved a $105,352 design and construction management contract with Klein McCarthy for replacement safety enclosures at the county adult detention center mezzanines but declined to commit the full estimated construction budget pending capital planning; commissioners debated whether to accelerate the project into the 2026 capital plan.
Goodhue County approved a contract May 20 with Klein McCarthy to design and provide construction management for replacement safety enclosures on the mezzanine units at the county adult detention center. The Board approved the design/management contract for $105,352 and did not commit the larger construction appropriation at the meeting.
Sheriff's Office and facilities staff described safety incidents and aging mezzanine railing systems that do not meet current Department of Corrections requirements; staff said the railings and enclosures cover six units and that the systems are roughly 25 years old. The contractor's proposed construction budget cited in staff materials was approximately $1.28 million; staff earlier placed $500,000 in the 2025 budget as a starting appropriation and requested accelerating an additional $1.0 million into 2026 to complete the work in a single construction effort.
Several commissioners expressed concern about the overall cost and recommended the capital‑planning Committee of the Whole review the item among other 2026 capital requests. One commissioner moved to approve the design and construction‑management contract while deferring action on accelerating the remaining construction funds until the capital‑planning review. That motion passed; the design contract will allow the county to develop engineered plans and put the project out to bid, producing more precise construction estimates.
Commissioners also asked staff about the jail's operational status during refurbishment; staff said units are rotated so one unit can be taken out of service for work while others house inmates. Staff emphasized final construction cost and scheduling decisions will follow engineering, bidding and broader capital‑planning discussions.
