MONTICELLO, NY — The Sullivan County Legislature on February 18 voted unanimously to move forward with Black Creek Super Display Touchscreen Security System for the proposed new jail. The resolution authorizing the choice said the county has been using a security system provided by this company since 2007. This is another sign that the new legislature seems to be moving forward and bids may go out soon.

At a meeting at the government center on January 21, Mark Kukuvka of LaBella Associates addressed the newly seated legislature and explained the scope of the project. He said his company scaled down initial plans, and the current plan calls for a jail with 256 cells, with double bunking in some. The number of beds could be increased to 304.

The core areas of the facility, such as the kitchen and booking intake area, have been built large enough so that the areas of the facility that hold inmates could be expanded up to about 500 cells, if and when the inmate population grows.

The facility will be built on the site the county purchased off Old Route 17 just north of Monticello. Kukuvka said that it had yet to be determined whether water and sewer will be coming from the Village of Monticello or the Town of Thompson, a decision that will be made by the legislature.

The total footprint of the facility will be some 132,000 square feet, which has been pared down from an initial footprint of 170,000 square feet. When the project goes out to bid, the final price is expected to come in at about $81 million. That price, however, does not include a building for the sheriff’s road patrol, which will be included as a separate bid with a building that is 22,000 square feet.

Kukuvka said the current plan calls for the facility to be heated by propane, which was what was most cost-effect as determined most cost effective by a cost-benefit analysis performed last summer.

Legislator Nadia Rajsz asked, “What was the reason to go with LaBella for $80 million as opposed to Goldburg Group Architects (GGA) for $40 million?”

Ed McAndrew, commissioner of the Department of Public Works, said, “GGA spent a very short period of time doing a project, and when I actually got into their numbers, LaBella’s probably carrying 25% right now in contingency costs… GGA did not carry any of that, so that’s a 25% difference pretty much right off the bat. Also the soft-costs were not included in that $40 million design—when it came down to the square foot, they were pretty close… they hadn’t really delved into the design…. ”

Jail administrator Hal Smith added, “The other thing to keep in mind is this company [GGA] had never built a jail in a state that had a commission of corrections (COC), so they were just building the jail they wanted to design. That’s fine, but the COC is going to tell you what you’re going to have. Also, I don’t know what codes are in other states, but they had not really applied any New York State building codes to this design… Further, they did a great project out in Kansas and they ran out of money before it was finished.”

The project could go out to bid in May or June.