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Commissioners accept bid for new jail

Ashe County took its next step on the road to a new law enforcement center Monday when Vannoy Construction Company of Jefferson was officially awarded the building contract.

Ashe Commissioners approved the low bid of just under $11.9 million, which was about $400,000 less than the next lowest bid from Hickory Construction Company who built the new jail in Watauga County.

County Manager Dan McMillan said there will be a pre-construction briefing on Tuesday, Oct. 9, during which a timeline will be discussed and the project will proceed. He expects the project to take about two years.

McMillan said the county is still waiting on official approval from the Local Government Commission to borrow $13.5 million to build the law enforcement center and replace general funds used for architectural and engineering fees and preparation work on the property. There is also money available in county savings for any unforeseen financial needs.

"The county is in good shape to borrow the money, we just have to make sure everything is bank qualified," McMillan said. The LGC approves the county borrowing up to $10 million in one year's time, so this project will involve borrowing over a two-year period. McMillan said breaking up the loan into two years will save the county about half a million dollars in interest payments.

McMillan said the county is pleased to be able to award the building contract locally. Architects for the project are Hemphill, Randall & Associates of Charlotte and engineering is being provided by McGill & Associates of Asheville. This is the first time the county has hired McGill & Associates, an agency often employed by the towns in Ashe County for various projects, and also providing engineering work on the planned ball fields project at Family Central. McMillan said he is close to signing a contract on the ball fields project.

The law enforcement center will be built next to the county courthouse in Jefferson just above the USDA Service Center. McMillan said he is looking at where to store stuff as the storage building at that site must be taken down during the construction and then put back up behind the new jail. He said work will take place around the USDA Service Center and hopes are that it won't interfere with the agencies housed there. A 60-foot buffer plus vegetation will separate the law enforcement center from neighboring residential property.