Davis jail late, but under budget
There are no comments for this page [ Add Comment ]Wednesday, February 28, 2007
By Bryon Saxton
Standard-Examiner Davis Bureau
bsaxton@standard.net
County cuts costs, saves $1.5 million on facility
FARMINGTON -- The construction of the 400-bed Davis County Jail expansion came in 60 days late, but more importantly $1.5 million under budget.
"I'm here to give you a positive note," Davis Sheriff Bud E. Cox told the County Commission on Tuesday.
"We came in a little late, but under budget," Cox said of the $24.8 million jail expansion in west Farmington.
The expansion project, which doubles the bed space of the jail, is scheduled to open Friday. The county was able to save money in various areas. The cost of jail line items was by reduced by $189,000. The county received a $300,000 grant for video visitation equipment and saved another $23,000 on construction cleanup by using jail inmate labor, Chief Deputy Kevin McLeod said.
McLeod served as the county's project manager on the expansion.
The county was also able to save about $127,000 in equipping the jail kitchen, which also serves as the preparation area for the county's Aging Services lunch programs.
With the savings, an additional $900,000 will be saved in the amount of interest that was to be paid on the total principal over the 20-year life of the construction bond, McLeod said.
The upfront savings realized on the expansion, McLeod said, was a result of bringing the architect and construction company representatives together early in the project.
"We're excited that it has gone so well," said Bruce J. McDonough, Layton Construction Company vice president of operations. "This is a great team."
Project architect John B. Shuttleworth, of Edwards & Daniels Architects Inc., said it was a good experience working with the county and Layton Construction representatives.
The construction savings will be applied to the $1.7 million short-term loan the county commission approved in 2002 to pay for the foundation footprint needed for the expansion, County Clerk Steve Rawlings said.
"It's a real blessing to us," he said. "It allows us to pay on the debt for the pad."
Those county officials responsible for the savings should be commended by taxpayers for exercising fiduciary responsibility, County Commissioner Alan Hansen said.
"Coming in under budget is a term that is not commonly used these days," Hansen said.
Sheriff's deputies are scheduled to move male inmates into the jail expansion on Friday, which is near the original occupation date of March 1, McLeod said.
Female inmates moved into the jail expansion in January.
The substantial completion date for the jail expansion was initially set for Oct. 31, McLeod said, but not completed until Dec. 31, putting the project 60 days behind schedule.
Over the course of the construction of the jail expansion, the commission approved 13 change orders. The last change order, a $15,207 increase, was approved by the commission on Tuesday.
The expansion was needed because of overcrowding the 376-bed county jail had been experiencing.
Earlier this month, the commission approved a $1.54 million contract with the Utah Department of Corrections to incarcerate up to 100 state prisoners in the new expansion.
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