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| Price to build Calaveras jail creeping up |
| By Dana M. Nichols |
| Published: 04/22/2009 |
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SAN ANDREAS - The price tag is rising for the 240-bed jail, offices and dispatch center Calaveras County officials plan to build, causing jitters among the elected officials charged with keeping the project within its $57million budget. Members of the Calaveras County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved spending $3.75million to hire the architectural firm of PSA/Dewberry to design the jail and emergency services complex even as several board members complained that the fee is $1.5million more than originally estimated and prodded staff to provide a more accurate budget for the project. "I worry we are going to look up and find $56million is gone real quick, and we are nowhere near being completed with the jail," said Supervisor Gary Tofanelli, who is familiar with large-scale construction projects, because he owns and operates a steel construction company based in Stockton. Board of Supervisors Chairman Russ Thomas echoed Tofanelli's remarks. "We are already over budget on the proposed design," said Thomas, who owns a construction materials business. Sheriff's Department and project management officials assured the board that a much more precise budget is coming soon. "I understand your concerns," said sheriff's Capt. Eddie Ballard, who is overseeing the jail construction project for the department. In part, the budget is changing because of requirements to pay mitigation for impacts such as increased traffic the new jail will bring to the nearby intersection of Highway 49 and Mountain Ranch Road. "A lot of these things got thrown at the project after we got the proposal," Ballard said, referring to the initial proposal completed last year that helped the county land $26million in state jail construction funding. Calaveras County voters in 2007 also approved a $31million bond measure to help pay for construction of the jail, dispatch center and new Sheriff's Department offices. The county's current jail has only 65 beds and is so chronically crowded that many inmates are released early. Art Lytle, the consultant hired to oversee the construction project, said that by early July, the work done by the newly hired architectural firm will lead to a more precise budget. "With PSA/Dewberry, you will get to the hard costs," Lytle said. Read more. If link has expired, check the website of the article's original news source. |
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