Marshall County staff says new jail project is 60–75 days behind schedule; contractor put on notice

County staff told the Marshall County Commission during a March 25 work session that construction on the county's new jail is running roughly 60 to 75 days behind schedule and that the contractor has been put on notice and must provide a recovery schedule before the next Owner-Architect-Contractor (OAC) meeting.

The staff member gave a detailed account of causes and current conditions, saying errors in workmanship and misplaced plumbing required demolition and rework. "We've had at least 15 walls of various sizes that have been demolished after erection," the staff member said, and noted contractors must document any overtime and the number of workers needed to reach a revised timeline.

The presentation also outlined physical progress on the site: structural steel for the second floor has been installed and crews are preparing steel decking to hold the second-floor slab; dormitory walls are at full height and ready for roof steel, which is on-site and expected to be installed in the coming weeks. Cell blocks are complete up to the mezzanine-level ceiling (the facility uses two tiers of cells), and crews are forming cell-ceiling slabs above the mezzanine. Near-term tasks listed by staff included placing the lid on the C1 cell blocks, pouring the control-room slab, cleaning exterior walls for waterproofing, completing second-floor slab decking in Areas A and B, and installing steel stairs adjacent to the elevator.

Staff also said a delivery delay of a door frame for a site area (referred to during the meeting as the Saddleport area) will pause some work until the frame arrives the following Monday. The staff member said the county reviewed a recovery schedule submitted by the contractor but concluded it was not adequate, prompting a second formal notice during the OAC meeting.

The staff member said the county will review any new recovery schedule the contractor provides to determine whether it complies with the guidelines the county has set to mitigate the delay. No formal vote or decision about contract remedies or liquidated damages was recorded during the meeting; staff said the next step is to receive and evaluate the contractor's recovery schedule at the next OAC meeting.