Starke County Commissioners Set to Award Jail Bid

This building on SR 8 at CR 550 E will soon house the new Starke County Jail.
This building on SR 8 at CR 550 E will soon house the new Starke County Jail.

The Starke County Commissioners are set to award bids for construction of the new jail east of Knox on State Road 8 when they meet this evening. The commissioners opened the bids on Oct. 10 and took them under advisement so they could be sure they met the specifications outlined in the pre-bid documents. The bids were submitted in 10 different categories: general trades and sitework, masonry, drywall and acoustical, flooring, painting, kitchen equipment, detention equipment and security electronics, fire suppression, plumbing, mechanical, and electrical. A large number of contractors submitted bids for the work, including some who submitted combined bids; that is, a combination of categories, such as masonry, flooring and painting, at a discount.

The work on the project is due to begin next month and wrap up in the spring of 2015. Construction can continue through the winter months since an existing building is being modified.