POUGHKEEPSIE – The long-anticipated bids for the new Dutchess County Justice & Transition Center (DCJTC) have been opened and the low-bidder has submitted a proposal well below the projected construction costs.
Dutchess County Department of Public Works had a strong bidding response for the construction of the Dutchess County Justice & Transition Center. Six bids were submitted with project costs ranging up to $140.5 million dollars.
Dutchess County Executive Marcus Molinaro said “Our justice and transition center, when built, was already projected to save $4 million a year in jail operating costs. These bids are significantly lower than originally estimated and will provide additional savings to taxpayers while finally replacing an expensive, ineffective, and inappropriate facility – that we should rid ourselves of.”
The selected bid was from Pike Company of Rochester, NY, who had the lowest base bid at $110 million, well below estimated/authorized funding even with significant contingency built into the cost.
The contracts still must be finalized, so these are base numbers at this point.
On March 21, 2016, the Dutchess County Legislature voted to approve funding for the design and construction of the DCJTC. The 19-6 bipartisan vote followed several years of public input and careful analysis to address Dutchess County’s long-standing issue of lack of capacity and need to house out inmates. The DCJTC will be an efficient, modern facility that provides the necessary space to expand the County’s innovative restorative justice programs to transition inmates back into the community and decrease future recidivism, as well as provide the housing space required by the New York State Commission of Correction. The new DCJTC is expected to save taxpayers more than $5 million annually beginning in the first year of operation.
