Moving ahead with county jail expansion and old courthouse renovation plans

Three contractors have responded to a request for qualifications (RFQ) for planned design-build work to expand the Cape Girardeau County Jail in Jackson and to renovate the nearby historic 1908 courthouse. The latter structure has been vacant since June 2020 when the new county courthouse opened at 203 N. High St.

Jackson's Penzel Construction plus two other in-state firms -- Little Dixie Construction of Columbia, Missouri, and River City Construction of Ashland, Missouri -- replied to the requests for qualifications, county commissioners were told Thursday.

Courthouse

Second District Commissioner Charlie Herbst said St. Louis-based Navigate Building Solutions has not finished its scope of work yet but upgrades to the century-old structure's electric, heating/ventilation/air conditioning, plumbing and other mechanical systems are anticipated.

"It's projected that we will relocate to a remodeled courthouse some offices from the current 1930s-era county administration building at No. 1 Barton Square (in Jackson)," Herbst said.

Herbst said the county's capital improvement budget will be tapped to pay renovation costs.

Jail

Sheriff Ruth Ann Dickerson said overcrowding at the county lockup is unabated.

"The jail is currently designed to hold no more than 220 inmates. We have stayed at a daily census of 280 to 300 inmates for several years. This morning we had over 270 and realistically, to be prepared for the future, we need 450," said Dickerson, who has been with the department more than 35 years, the last four as sheriff.

"We realize we've given the contractors who responded to the RFQ a tall order because the price of everything, including labor, has gone up. We need more bed space because of increase in inmates (plus) we need more space for our officers and our programs," she added.

Dickerson, who said bonds will help with construction costs, said her department has "very frugally" spent money from the half-cent law enforcement and public safety tax passed in June 2020 and has tried to "put back some to try to buffer" some of the expense of future jail expansion.

"The expansion will be at no (new) cost to taxpayers," Dickerson added.

Timeline

Herbst said the commission on Sept. 27 will notify a "preferred vendor" to work up a design-build contract for the twin projects.

Once work begins, it should take 14 to 18 months to complete, he added.

"We hope to be finished by the first quarter of 2024," said Herbst, first elected to his commission post in August 2012.