Cowlitz County seeking new bids for its old jail
Wednesday, April 19, 2006 6:54 AM PDT
By Janine Manny
Printable version
E-mail this articleCowlitz County commissioners Tuesday formally rejected its only bid to refurbish the old county jail and voted to seek new bids.
This time around, commissioners will divide the work into four smaller projects in hopes of increasing the number of bidders and lowering the cost.
"We'll re-bid in four separate projects and see if we can get a better price through more competition," Commissioner Jeff Rasmussen said.
Commissioners will open the bids for plumbing, fire sprinkler head replacement, duct cleaning and modification and kitchen floor sealing on May 9.
The only qualified bid the county received for the project earlier this month was for $955,000 --- more than twice the $450,000 county has budgeted.
The county is opening a new 300-bed jail this spring and hopes to use the old jail space, located on the third floor of the Cowlitz Hall of Justice, as a minimum security jail.
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