Herkimer County officials opened bids on Sept. 25 for a $23 million-plus jail to be built on Route 28 in the northern New York village.
The bids are unofficial and county officials will review them for compliance and to ensure they meet specifications over the next few days, the Utica Observer-Dispatch reports. The bids will be presented to the county Legislature at its next quarterly meeting at 2 p.m. on Oct. 3.
“I think we had a very good turnout,” said purchasing agent Sherrie Ferdula, who opened the bids. “There’s more than we expected.”
The newspaper reports that the bids opened were for general construction work, plumbing (including fire protection), mechanical and electrical work (including security controls). General construction and electrical work also included a handful of alternatives.
The project’s total cost has not been determined.
In general construction, the possible alternatives that the county wanted to look at included epoxy paint in various rooms instead of latex, acoustical baffles, carpet and possible future double bunking.
In electrical work, the possible alternatives include providing a Black Creek security and control system, providing a Cornerstone, Normet Security and Control System and providing a Security and Control System by EC choice.
- Four companies bid for the general construction work, with bids ranging from $23,444,000 to $29,987,000.
- Five companies bid on the plumbing. The bids ranged from $2,942,000 to $3,942,000.
- Six companies bid on the mechanical work. The bids ranged from $302,290,000 to $3,731,000.
- Five companies bid on the electrical work. The bids ranged from $3,888,000 to $5,163,000.
“I think with the numbers we got today, things will be approved,” said County Administrator Jim Wallace.
Wallace said he expected the contracts to be approved in about 30 days after the county legislators made their decision next month. He expects the county to break ground on the jail in early November, with overall construction to take about 20 months.
