Jackson County sheriff outlines $20 million, state-and-grant-funded sheriff's complex; architect and contractor named

Sheriff Donnie Edenfield told the Jackson County Board of County Commissioners on Oct. 14 that the county is close to breaking ground on a new sheriff’s complex, describing completed construction documents and the project’s funding and procurement plans.

Edenfield said the complex’s funding comes from two sources: a county-prepared grant and an appropriation through the state legislature, “totaling just under $20,000,000,” and that the project will be “at no additional out of pocket cost to our county, directly.” He introduced Will (Bill) Rutherford of CRA as the architect of record and Chuck Roberts of Culpeper Construction as the selected general contractor.

The architect presented final plans the board was shown in slides, saying the team had finished 100% of construction documents and would move immediately to trade package bidding with Culpeper. Rutherford described an approximately 21,000-square-foot sheriff’s office; a roughly 6,200-square-foot maintenance and fuel area; and a 1,200-square-foot K‑9 facility on the same parcel. He said the building envelope is designed to a 160 mile-per-hour wind speed and that the dispatch area will include higher redundancy and emergency-generator coverage consistent with NFPA dispatch requirements.

Rutherford emphasized evidence-storage and chain-of-custody needs in the design: an evidence vault and secured evidence-handling areas are included. He also described plans for low-maintenance materials (insulated metal panels, masonry infill), rooftop screening for HVAC units and a memorial plaza at the front entrance with concrete precast seating and bronze “End of Watch” plaques.

Contracting and schedule: Culpeper Construction is developing a guaranteed maximum price (GMP) and the team expects to bring the GMP back to the county in roughly 45–50 days, according to Culpeper representatives. Culpeper told the board it will advertise trade packages locally and structure bid packages to encourage local subcontractor participation. Commissioners and members of the public asked about HVAC details, K‑9 heating and cooling, roof system, and the project’s approach to local participation in the trade bidding process.

Edenfield said the county put the procurement out for submissions and a selection team including Commissioner Branch, County Administrator Dean, the supervisor of elections and sheriff’s command staff reduced proposals to two finalists; he then selected Culpeper. He told commissioners he discussed the project budget with Culpeper and said Culpeper “assured me that he could do that” within the county’s stated budget.

The sheriff closed by saying the county will notify commissioners when a groundbreaking is scheduled and will invite them to attend.

Why it matters: The project consolidates sheriff operations, dispatch resiliency and maintenance functions on one campus; the completed construction documents and the state and grant funding mean the county moves from planning into procurement and construction readiness.

Sources and attribution: Direct quotations and technical details above are drawn from remarks by Sheriff Donnie Edenfield and project representatives Will Rutherford (CRA) and Chuck Roberts (Culpeper Construction) during the Oct. 14 commission meeting.