Commissioners Penny Githens, Lee Jones and Julie Thomas voted to select DLZ as the firm to design and build a new jail.
(WTIU/WFIU)
The Monroe County Board of Commissioners has selected an Indianapolis-based architecture firm to create a master plan for and construct a new county jail.
Commissioners Penny Githens, Lee Jones and Julie Thomas voted to approve a recommendation to begin negotiations with DLZ at their Wednesday meeting.
The recommendation came from a committee tasked with reviewing responses to a request for qualifications (RFQ) from DLZ and two other firms: Elevatus and RQAW. The committee unanimously selected DLZ, according to Richard Crider, the county’s fleet and building manager.
“I believe we all felt like any one of (the firms) could provide a facility that meets our needs, the needs of the community, is progressive in its design, supports the mental health needs of our inmates as well as the needs of our employees, providers, and visitors, and will also allow for future flexibility and programming care and bed space,” Crider said. “That said, one firm stood out above the rest, and that was DLZ.”
The committee was made up of Lee Baker, county attorney; Matt Demmings, assistant jail commander; Kyle Gibbons, jail commander; and Angie Purdie, the commissioners’ administrator. Also on the committee was Dave Gardner, a representative for ASI Facility Services. ASI was contracted by the commissioners to handle certain maintenance duties at the jail.
The commissioners faced objections from residents and other elected officials alike, including Bloomington City Council member Isabel Piedmont-Smith.
“I am concerned with hiring a firm that is known to build very large jails and of course then would benefit from a recommendation to build a large facility,” she said. “I wonder if there might not be a conflict of interest there.”
The commissioners downplayed Piedmont-Smith’s concern and noted that the committee unanimously chose DLZ over the other two firms.
“It is the county’s decision about the size of the facility that we want, not DLZ’s or any other contractors,” Githens said. “We will listen to recommendations, but it ultimately is our decision.”
Thomas also weighted in.
“I’m not sure that there’s a conflict of interest, because any contractor would want to build something larger,” Thomas said. “So, I don’t know that there’s anything special here about that.”
At a Monday meeting of the Community Justice Response Committee (CJRC), the group which has been discussing potential plans for a new jail, Bloomington resident Seth Mutchler called on the commissioners to delay their vote.
Mutchler, who is also a member of local advocacy group Care Not Cages, said he was disappointed the commissioners had not collected public input on the firms under consideration.
“When I saw there was a slated April 3 presentation by (the) RFQ committee, I presumed that members of the committee would be presenting to the CJRC and public for input and feedback,” Mutchler said. “It turns out instead they’ll be saying ‘We made a decision without you. Here it is. Deal with it.’”
Mutchler cited language from the RFQ which says, “The committee will request presentations from each submitter, these presentations will be open to the public and may include a public display/presentation.”
He said those presentations happened but weren’t open to the public.
Mutchler also said DLZ was responsible for prior interior and exterior renovations at the jail, adding, “I don’t want the same company who failed to fix our current jail designing our next one.”
However, Gardner said DLZ did not renovate the jail but added a block on the first floor of the jail.
Githens said the firm will be invited to give a presentation to the CJRC at its April 3 meeting.
