SCOTT COUNTY PICKS ARCHITECT FOR JAIL PROJECT

BENTON -- The Scott County Commission has selected an architect and bonding company to handle the proposed construction of a new county jail.

County voters will be asked to decide two quarter-cent sales tax issues in an April 4 election. The first issue would pay for building a jail while the second would finance additional law enforcement services.

If voters approve the jail issue, Robert Stearnes & Associates of Sikeston will be the architect, said Walter Bizzell, associate county commissioner from Sikeston.

For the financing on the project, the commission selected A.G. Edwards & Sons Inc. Bizzell said the investment banking firm's projected fees and interest cost were less than three other proposals presented to the commission.

Bizzell said Stearnes was selected on his qualifications because "he's done several big jobs and this will be an extensive project."

Bizzell said the consulting firm -- Dana, Larson, Roubal and Associates of Kansas City -- proposed by Stearnes, has extensive experience in jail construction.

The final step in hiring the architect will be handled Monday, Bizzell said, when the commission negotiates the fee for the project, usually 7 to 10 percent of the construction cost.

If the commission fails to reach an agreement with Stearnes on the fee, another architect could be chosen.

The commission had received portfolios from four other Sikeston architects, listing their qualifications and the outside consulting firm they planned to use on the jail construction.

Stearnes said he was "very pleased" with his firm's selection. He was licensed as an architect in 1967 and became a part-owner of a Sikeston firm the following year. He opened his own firm in 1982.

"We were born and raised here and plan to stay here," said Stearnes, a former Sikeston mayor. "We would like the county to have a new jail facility and we want to be a part of it."

Stearnes said his firm is handling an addition to the Sikeston hospital, almost a $4 million project. His firm worked with architect John D. Dudley of Jackson on the new Jackson Middle School, which cost about $4.75 million.

Stearnes said the consulting firm he will use has built a 90-bed jail in Sioux City, Iowa, a 206-bed facility in Lincoln, Neb., and a 250-bed jail in Salem, Ore.

If the tax is approved, Stearnes said meetings to determine the type of facility and how much to spend could take longer than drawing the construction documents, which he estimated at 60 to 90 days.

E.E. "Chuck" Grant, vice president of investments and trust specialist for the Sikeston office of A.G. Edwards, said he's excited that his firm was selected to handle the financing on the jail. He said he liked the idea that area residents will be able to buy the bonds locally to finance a new county jail.

"We hope to save the county some dollars on financing costs," Grant said. "We have the clients out there who are looking for some sound tax-free bonds."

The proposed jail project rests with the voters, said Presiding Commissioner Bob Kielhofner. He said the reason for selecting an architect and bonding company now is to have some idea of what will have to be done to build a jail.

Kielhofner said county voters need to pass both sales tax issues. If a new jail is approved, he said the county will need additional funds to pay for its staffing.

The additional tax for both proposals would amount to 25 cents on a $100 purchase. The revenue from each proposal is expected to be $704,000 during the first year of collections, which would begin Oct. 1.

Kielhofner said the commission will meet Monday at 4 p.m. with a citizens' advisory committee to explain the necessity for the proposals. The architect, a representative from A.G. Edwards and the sheriff are expected to attend the meeting.

Kielhofner thinks the county will be able to build about a 100-bed facility with the proposed sales tax. The commission is estimating that it will be able to spend about $4.3 million for construction on the project.