CHARLESTON PRISON CONTRACT SHOULD BE AWARDED THIS WEEK

CHARLESTON -- A contract for construction of a maximum-security prison in Charleston likely will be awarded this week.

Project manager Scott Dressel said the director of the Missouri Division of Design and Construction is expected to award the project before Friday. "We hope to get this thing started pretty quickly here," said Dressel.

Construction of the 1,500-bed Southeast Correctional Center originally was slated to begin in September 1998, but bids significantly higher than the $73 million estimate delayed the project, and new bids were sought.

Only three general contractors competed in the second bidding process that ended Sept. 16. Although bids still were significantly higher than the revised estimate of $65.3 million, state officials decided to proceed with construction.

"We took some of the things out of the project and adjusted the estimate," Dressel said. "Even the low bid was above our estimates, but we felt we had enough money to do this project."

Dressel said researchers are checking data submitted by contractors to ensure the company selected meets state contract regulations and inclusion goals.

"It's a state project, so we look at the low bidder's information and make sure he's qualified," Dressel said. "We also wanted to make sure we had participation from minority and women's businesses."

Charleston was one of two communities that successfully bid for one of two state prisons in 1997. Licking, a town of about 1,400 in south-central Missouri, is the other site.

Development of both sites fell behind early in the planning phases, but about 80 percent of the construction at Licking has been completed, Dressel said.

Construction should begin in Charleston this month or in early November. The project is scheduled for completion 18 months from the date work begins.

Former state Rep. Betty Hearnes, a longtime Charleston resident and wife of former Missouri Gov. Warren Hearnes, said residents are ready for construction to begin.

The prison will sit on 120 acres about 300 feet off Highway 105 near Interstate 57. Approximately 439 jobs and a $9.1 million annual payroll comes with the prison.

"We got very impatient about it, but it just takes a long time," Hearnes said. "If you get good weather and everything, it really moves along."

Prison bids

Bid amounts, including costs for all alternate work:

-- River City Construction of Benton, Ill., $70,933,000.

-- Caddell Construction of Montgomery, Ala., $75,535,000.

-- SCM Joint Venture of St. Louis, $72,522,000.