GREENFIELD — Hancock County officials will know the price cap of a new county jail by late this month.
The Hancock County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday finalized a contract with the construction manager assigned to the jail project, Garmong Construction Services. The company plans to disclose the guaranteed maximum price of the project by July 31, said John Jessup, president of the commissioners.
Previously, the commissioners signed a resolution stating the cost of the new jail will not exceed $43 million. Jessup said the county board still stands by that price tag, saying the county doesn’t expect Garmong, which has offices in Indianapolis, Terre Haute and Evansville, to set a higher guaranteed maximum price.
Once the price is set, Jessup said Garmong will bid out for subcontractors in mid-to-late-August. Construction on the 440-bed jail, planned on 20 acres of county-owned land north of U.S. 40 between County Roads 400E and 500E, might start as soon as the fall and finish in spring 2021, Jessup has said.
A year ago, the commissioners and Hancock County Council had to switch gears on the location and funding source for a bigger county jail after voters turned down a $55 million property tax referendum to build a new jail in Greenfield. Now, Jessup said, the design for the two-story jail is almost complete, the contractor is on board and the county council recently passed an income tax increase to pay for the jail.
“It’s happening,” Jessup said. “It’s not going to stop now”
The first signs of construction on the property will start within the next 60 days, Jessup said, as crews break ground on a nearly mile-long access road between U.S. 40 and the future jail.
The county received only one bid for the road project on Tuesday, and the cost, Jessup said, was higher than expected. Gary Pool, Hancock County engineer, previously estimated the road to cost between $700,000 and $900,000. Calumet Civil Contractors, Inc., of Whitestown, bid $1.49 million.
Jessup said the steep price was due to the road being concrete rather than asphalt. Asphalt is cheaper, he said, but concrete is more durable and lasts longer. Jessup also said he wished more bidders had come forward. The commissioners haven’t OK’d the road contract yet; it’s under review by Scott Benkie, county attorney.
The commissioners on Tuesday also amended a memorandum of understanding between Hancock County and Greenfield Utilities. The city will spend about $444,000 to extend water and sewer lines from existing connection points near Jaycie Phelps Road to the jail’s access road on the edge of the property. While the jail will sit on 20 acres of land, the county owns the nearly 120-acre property north of U.S. 40.
The amended memo states the county is urging the city to not charge future “impact fees” on the water and sewer lines that run between the edge of the property and the jail. Jessup said since the county will have to pay for those lines, the commissioners feel like Greenfield Utilities shouldn’t charge additional “tap fees” if the county or another developer, like a private business, hooks on to the utility lines.
The county commissioners wanted the city to pay for the lines to run within 50 feet of the jail building, but Greenfield officials said an ordinance instructs utilities to take the lines to the edge of a property.
According to a document provided to the board of works by Mike Fruth, director of Greenfield Utilities, running the water and sewer lines inside the property would’ve cost the city an additional $232,000. Jessup estimates it might end up costing the county $300,000 to $400,000.
