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Board splits on jail plan after bids exceed estimate; commissioners move project to FY2015
Summary
After hearing that bids for the previously planned adult detention center expansion exceeded estimates by roughly $7 million, commissioners agreed to shift the project from FY2014 to FY2015 while staff negotiates land and state funding questions and prepares a FY2015 grant application.
St. Mary’s County commissioners debated several options for the adult detention center on Feb. 25 after staff and the sheriff described a significant difference between the prior project estimate and contractor bids.
George Erickson, county staff overseeing capital planning for facilities, told the board the previously approved expansion design produced bids that came back substantially higher than the estimate — roughly a $7 million overage on the package that included an addition and numerous infrastructure upgrades. The county holds a partial state grant for the project, but the design as drawn places part of the footprint on state‑owned land, creating an immediate title/lease issue that staff and elected officials said must be resolved before moving forward.
Why th…
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