A ground-breaking ceremony for the new Lancaster County Jail will be July 14.
ALGIS J. LAUKAITIS / Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Friday, July 3, 2009 12:00 am
A ground-breaking ceremony for the new Lancaster County Jail will be July 14.
The public event will be at 11 a.m. at Southwest 40th and West O streets, the location of the new jail.
Total cost of the new jail is estimated at $65 million but the Lancaster County Board does not have a final number, Corrections Director Mike Thurber said Monday.
Sampson Construction Co. is reviewing more than 110 bids from subcontractors and plans to present a final figure to county commissioners on Tuesday, he said.
The county board initially wanted to build a 776-bed facility but later determined that it could not afford it, and dropped the number to 667 beds.
However, that was before the economy worsened and prices for building materials began to drop. Now the commissioners are hoping to add 112 more beds, if the subcontractor bids come in low enough. That would bring the total to 779.
Thurber said contractors were asked to submit bids for a 667-bed jail and an alternate bid for adding 112 more beds.
Construction of the jail is expected to be completed in late 2011.