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Supervisors consider
regional jail bids
Published Thursday, Sept. 10, 2009
By Brant Sappington
Staff Writer
An Oklahoma-based company appears to be on track to construct Alcorn County’s new regional jail and justice center after submitting the apparent low bid for the multi-million dollar project on Wednesday.
Flintco, Inc. of Tulsa, Okla. was the apparent low bidder out of the nine companies submitting proposals for the project, with a total bid of $17,113,300. Flintco’s web site describes itself as one of the largest commercial contractors in the country with offices in numerous major cities, including Memphis, Tenn.
Architect Michael LeBlanc will now review the bids and the credentials of the low bidder and make a final recommendation to the board of supervisors. The board is expected to consider his recommendation and award the project at their next regular meeting on Sept. 21.
LeBlanc said he is extremely pleased with the bids received and believes the project will fall within the allotted budget.
The 147,972-square-foot center will be located on South Harper Road between the county’s juvenile detention center and the National Guard armory and will house offices for the sheriff’s department, Corinth Police Department, Corinth-Alcorn County E-911 and the county’s emergency management agency, along with a courtroom and offices for Alcorn County Justice Court and Corinth Municipal Court.
It will include 308 beds for state inmates in a portion designated as a Mississippi Department of Corrections regional jail and 290 beds for city and county prisoners.
The center will financed through a bond issue to be funded by money generated through the county’s contract with MDOC to operate the regional jail, along with funds from a lease agreement between the city and county for use of the city’s portion of the center and the housing of city inmates.
Work has already begun to prepare for issuing the bonds and the process is expected to take approximately 45 days from the time the contract is awarded. The contractor will then have 550 days to construct the center.
Supervisors said they are thrilled to reach this milestone after more than two years of planning and design work. Second District Supervisor Jeff Patterson said it’s difficult to quantify the enormous cost savings the center will provide to the city and county due to the reduction in transportation of inmates and costs associated with housing inmates in facilities outside the county because of lack of space in the current county jail.
Fifth District Supervisor Jimmy Tate Waldon also pointed to the increase in safety for jailers, deputies and staff from the reduction in transportation. He said they also believe the center will save lives by speeding emergency response in the county and city with the establishment of a joint dispatching center.
Bids submitted for the justice center construction project included:
• Flintco Inc. of Tulsa, Okla. - Base bid: $16,258,000; Total bid including all alternates: $17,113,300
• Webb Building Corporation of Memphis, Tenn. - Base bid: $16,750,000; Total bid including all alternates: $17,676,400.
• Bell and Associates Construction - Base bid: $16,992,000; Total bid including all alternates: $17,864,600.
• Jesco Construction - Base bid: $17,432,000; Total bid including all alternates: $18,408,000.
• Worsham Brothers Inc. of Corinth - Base bid: $17,672,000; Total bid including all alternates: $18,655,000
• Zeliner Construction - Base bid: $17,849,300; Total bid including all alternates: $18,923,300.
• Smith Doyle Construction - Base bid: $18,560,000; Total bid including all alternates: $19,593,000.
• Inman Construction of Memphis - Base bid: $18,738,000; Total bid including all alternates: $19,806,000.
• Sanderson Construction of Amory - Base bid: $18,800,000; Total bid including all alternates: $20,151,000.
