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Page County jail project shows $841,691 overage; board approves most contractor awards with exclusions
Summary
County project manager reported an $841,691 overrun (including $478,000 contingency) on the new jail; supervisors approved awards for several bid categories while excluding one category and discussed options to reduce costs.
Project representatives reported that the Page County jail construction budget is showing an overage of about $841,691, including a contingency line of $478,000. County and contractor representatives described options to reduce the overage and discussed whether to proceed with awarding contracts.
The project representative said a previously discussed potential credit on a natural-gas line (about $150,000) remains under review and that the team has exhausted routine value-engineering options with contractors. Two possible near-term reductions were identified: removing the food-and-laundry-service equipment item (estimated savings $233,000) and holding the FF&E (furniture, fixtures and equipment) budget line. Those two items together would reduce the gap to roughly the contingency amount. The representative also recommended moving forward with bond sale to capture interest income to offset overage.
Supervisors asked whether dispatch space and other program elements could be delayed or separated from the core jail project; the project team said redesign to remove dispatch would require substantial additional design work and could expose the county to price increases if bids are rejected and rebid later.
After discussion, the board approved moving forward with contracts in several bid categories while excluding bid category 11b. The board directed staff to issue contracts using contractors' original bid dates for categories 3b, 6, 7a, 22, 23 and 26 and to pursue deductive change orders that would reflect later value-engineering adjustments. The project representative advised that continuing procurement would allow some further savings during equipment procurement, but no guaranteed additional credits exist at this time.
Why it matters: The board is deciding whether to lock in contractor prices amid a measured budget overrun and to use local-option tax and potential bond proceeds to cover the gap. Approving most contractors while excluding one category lets construction proceed while preserving options to pare scope if contingency is needed.
Votes and contract actions - Motion approved to authorize contracts for bid categories 3b, 6, 7a, 22, 23 and 26 and to exclude 11b; motion carried by voice vote. - Board and project team discussed holding food service equipment and the FF&E line for later award to reduce near-term cash outlay.
The board also discussed insurance, furnishing and operating costs that will follow project completion and acknowledged uncertainty about future increases in equipment and supplier prices.
