Gibson County council moves to commit funding to jail demolition project

Gibson County commissioners voted in favor of committing to the bid packages for demolition of the county jail and to advertise the two procurement packages ahead of contracting. Project staff said two competitive bid events produced 25 bidders across seven bid packages and presented plans to demolish the existing jail and build parking and site infrastructure.

Dan Alcorn of Garment Construction introduced the procurement results and told the council both bid events are complete and ready to move forward. Project staff reported a phase-1 bid of roughly $691,000; together the two bid packages were described in the meeting as totaling about $1.3 million, a figure that the presenters said includes contingency, paving, striping, lighting, security cameras, fencing and related site work.

Commissioner S11 moved to commit to the two bid amounts pending the August advertisement, and the motion was seconded. The board discussed phasing, project scope and the need to ensure funds are in place before formal award; the council voiced approval during the meeting and directed staff to prepare advertisement materials and to bring final award items for future action.

The project manager said the demolition plan includes closing Emerson Street (to be bonded by the city), installing a fenced perimeter to protect subsurface gas infrastructure and the radio tower area, and completing surface improvements so the former jail footprint will become parking and site circulation. The council did not adopt a final contract award at this meeting and asked staff to advertise and return with firm sources of funding and bid documentation for formal approval.

Next steps: staff will advertise the two packages and return to the council with final funding sources and award recommendations in accordance with the council’s timeline and procurement rules.