On schedule and under budget is how officials described progress on the expansion of the Hays County Jail as they aim to complete the $54.5 million project by December.
The Hays County Jail was reaching capacity last year when officials struck a deal with Caldwell County to house prisoners in the Caldwell County Jail. That deal costs millions of dollars annually, according to the 2016 Public Safety Master Plan.
The jail is currently under construction and is moving into Phase II of the project. Contractors have completed work on the buildings’ outer structures and the Hays County Sheriff’s Office maintenance facility.
Phase I of the project, which was completed in June 2018, featured structural additions, including the addition of 192 more bed spaces. The Hays County Jail has 302 bed spaces at this time.
Codi Newsom, senior project manager with ECM International, said in a statement the approved guaranteed maximum price (GMP) for Phase I was roughly $5.3 million. However, Phase I was completed for roughly $4.5 million.
Phase II of the project involves the majority of the jail renovation, as well as a new jail addition and a new training building. Newsom said the GMP for Phase II is approximately $49.9 million.
That total reflects roughly $290,000 in savings which was accomplished by transferring $489,836 from the Phase I portion.
On Jan. 22, Hays County Commissioners approved a proposal for Phase II to include adding padded cells within four jail cells.
