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Faulkner County officials say new jail design targets 256 beds; 100% plans expected by July
Summary
County administrator and jail project team reported a detailed 60% plan review, confirmed a 256-bed design target, and said final plans should be ready by July to allow bidding and an anticipated construction start around mid-September.
Faulkner County officials told the Quorum Court that the county’s jail project is proceeding through design and is expected to reach 100% plans by July, a milestone that will allow the county to put the work out to bid.
County Administrator Mister Higgins said the county held a 60% plan review with architects, engineers and the construction manager that included county stakeholders and that the facility is being finalized at a 256-bed design. “We did Zoom call on it. The architects president, electrical engineer, mechanical engineer, the construction manager… and we went page by page through about 82 or 83 pages of plans to make suggestions, adjustments, tweaks,” Higgins said. He added the project team will send supplemental materials as questions arise.
Why it matters: reaching 100% plans clears a major procedural step before solicitation for construction bids. At the meeting Higgins said a successful 100% plan approval would enable the county to go to bid “shortly after that,” with a target construction start “maybe mid September.”
Details from the 60% review: county representatives at the meeting included Judge Dodson, Sheriff Ryle, Chief Oiling and Captain Watkins; architects and multiple engineering disciplines participated from the contractor side. Higgins described outstanding design questions that will be resolved in follow-up materials from the architects.
Schedule and procurement: Higgins said the county expects 100% plans by July and then a multi‑week bid process before final contract award. He described the anticipated construction start as “maybe mid September,” but did not provide a contract award date or a guaranteed ground‑breaking day.
Capacity and scope: Higgins said the team had been “moving that number around a little bit depending on the design” but that the project is being finalized at 256 beds. He did not provide a breakdown by housing type or the split of beds by security level.
Costs and funding: The presentation at this meeting did not include a final cost or budget breakdown for construction, nor did county staff state whether additional borrowing or outside funding will be required. Higgins said the architects will send follow-up materials with questions the court must answer before finalizing plans.
Next steps and oversight: County staff will review the architect’s supplemental materials, finalize the 100% plans, advertise for bids, and return to the court with procurement recommendations. No formal vote or contract award occurred at this meeting.
Ending: Court members did not raise or vote on a motion regarding the jail contract; the court was given the update and asked to expect additional materials and decisions at a future meeting.
