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Committee told statewide RFP is active for replacement of women’s correctional facility; responses due March 25
Summary
DGS told the House and Institutions Committee it abandoned plans to site the new women’s facility on state-owned land and has issued a statewide RFP (Chen County–preferred) seeking 20+ acres; members discussed that roughly $14 million is set aside while construction could exceed $100 million.
The House and Institutions Committee heard an update on plans to replace the state’s women’s correctional facility, and was told the search has moved from a single state-owned site to an open land search.
Siki, deputy commissioner of the Department of General Services (DGS), told the committee the agency “needed to pivot away from our plans to site on state own land in Essex” because of site challenges and local zoning constraints, and that DGS and the Department of Corrections issued a statewide request for proposals to identify parcels “suitable for correctional facility use.” Siki said the RFP is active and responses are due March 25.
Committee members asked about size and cost. Members said the facility search targets roughly 20 acres; Siki and others said about $14 million has been set aside to date for planning and acquisition, while construction of a new facility was described in the meeting as likely to exceed $100 million, with a $120 million estimate noted as design-dependent.
Members pressed DGS on site requirements including water, sewer and power, and on zoning compatibility; Siki said many candidate parcels identified in earlier, informal searches lacked necessary utilities or were adjacent to incompatible uses. The committee emphasized the need for sites with appropriate utilities and land-use compatibility.
Several members asked how the state will prioritize responses from across the state; Siki said the RFP was issued statewide with a stated preference for Chen County. The deputy commissioner said DGS will review submissions and expected to report back to the committee after bids are evaluated.
The committee did not take a formal vote on the replacement strategy during the session. Members asked for clearer cost breakdowns and more detailed estimates of temporary versus permanent solutions for three regional sites discussed in the markup. The committee planned further review as RFP responses arrive and as staff produce a more detailed cost analysis.
The committee moved next to other capital-bill line items and timeboxed further discussion of corrections-related projects.
