Marion County approves $6.96 million contract to build new sheriff's evidence facility

The Marion County Board of Commissioners on June 11 approved a public improvement agreement with Robinson Construction Company for $6,957,000 to construct a new evidence facility on the Marion County Sheriff’s campus.

County business-services staff said the project’s total capital cost is roughly $9,785,678 when design, landscaping and ancillary costs are included. The new facility will be a 10,000-square-foot building at the sheriff’s campus (4040 Holmesville Highway) designed to receive, catalog, store and maintain evidence collected by law enforcement partners. Commissioners approved the construction contract by unanimous voice vote.

Director of Business Services Tamara Goetzch and county project staff described features intended to modernize evidence management: high-density movable shelving for expanded storage capacity; climate-controlled rooms with redundant systems for items that require temperature control; a dedicated intake/processing vestibule for deputies and separate technician workstations for cataloging; multiple vehicle bays, including an indoor long-term vehicle bay; specialized storage rooms for weapons and drugs with an isolated ventilation system for the drug room; secure public-facing intake with a pass-through box for small items and a larger separate delivery room for bulk items; and a backup generator sized to run 100% of the building (diesel fueled).

From the sheriff’s office perspective, Jay Bergman, under sheriff, said the current evidence facility is antiquated, undersized and in part relies on an external trailer for staff work space. The new building, Bergman said, should accommodate current and anticipated future needs as evidence volumes increase and help the office meet accreditation and legal storage standards.

Construction mobilization was set to begin June 23, with a ceremonial groundbreaking scheduled for July 2 at 10:00 a.m. County staff gave an approximately one-year target for construction completion (May of the following year). Project partners include McKinsey Engineering (design consultant) and Robinson Construction (general contractor). County staff noted geotechnical work done earlier in the design process to avoid disturbing potential historic artifacts on site.

Ending: Commissioners thanked staff and the project team; staff said facilities and finance worked to time construction with favorable financing rates and to limit long-term debt exposure.