Asotin County officials have rejected the bids for a new jail and are considering alternatives, including the possible reduction in the scope of the planned project.
Last month, two bids were submitted, and both were nearly $20 millon higher than what’s been budgeted for a 120-bed jail along Sixth Avenue in the Clarkston Heights. The cost was projected at $13.75 million, but the bids came in at more than $33 million. Soaring material prices along with supply-chain issues and a robust construction market are some the reasons costs have increased.
Commissioners are working with a Florida architect firm, to review the project design and possible ways to cut costs, including possibly waiting for the market to flatten and rebidding the project or reducing the scope with the ability to add on to the facility later. How that could affect bed space or the timeline for completion has not been determined. (Lewiston Tribune)
