ANDERSON — Construction on the new Madison County Jail is expected to start by the end of the month.
The Madison County Commissioners Tuesday voted to approve an agreement with general contractor Garmong Construction for a guaranteed price of $97.5 million.
The total cost of the project to build a 525-bed facility in North Anderson is $105.5 million.
Consultant Eric Weflen, representing the county on the project, said work will include relining a sanitary sewer pipe to the south of the property and adding an additional turn lane on Broadway that was requested by the City of Anderson.
The county is expected to receive $79.7 million from the bond issue on Sept. 26.
Work is expected to start on the jail site on Sept. 30; officials estimate the project will take 24 months to complete.
“We’re working with the city on the permitting process,” Weflen said.
County administrator Tom Ecker said the guaranteed price is within 1% of the original estimate on the project.
“We had to add some additional work,” he said.
Ecker said the price is guaranteed as long as the scope of the work is not changed.
The county has a current balance of $13.8 million in the local option tax account for the construction of the jail.
The county is financing a portion of the projected debt for the new jail through the correctional local option income tax that is expected to generate more than $6.2 million in 2024.
The site for the new jail is on Broadway behind several commercial businesses including the Wendy’s and Captain D’s and north of the Anderson roller arena.
The county purchased the property from Meijer at a cost of $795,000.
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