A nearly $13 million contract to start the process of renovating the Clark County Jail hit a snag as county councilors questioned what they were signing up for.
During the Sept. 19 meeting, the Clark County Council voted to send back a contract with KMB Architects to staff, directing them to work with the firm to focus on the first steps of work. The contract as presented cost about $12.8 million, more than the $9.9 million the council previously approved last year using American Rescue Plan Act funds.
The contract is for design, engineering and architectural services for the jail project, according to a staff report. The County Council has been talking about the renovation for over a year, county manager Kathleen Otto said.
The last discussion the council had on the project included an overview of how stakeholder groups will be involved. Otto said they would be a part of the initial review of current facilities and what will be included in the renovations. Those stakeholders ranged from government agencies and departments to community partners who interact with the jail.
The stakeholders’ involvement happens before the more costly part of the design work, the staff report said. That later work applies the recommendations from stakeholders to solidify a scope of work for the project.
With specifics to be determined, the general scope outlines renovation to a facility with an 850- to 900-bed capacity. Deputy County Manager Amber Emery said this was a “middle of the road” number given overall population projections looking decades out. She said the jail currently has a capacity of 650 through its different facilities.
The renovation will also include a sally port and safe booking intake areas, as well as adequate areas for courts with meeting areas for defense attorneys to meet with clients.
Clark County Internal Services Director Michelle Schuster said the overall cost jumped nearly $3 million because of inflation. Schuster said the county will pay for the additional costs with reserves.
The county interviewed three firms before selecting KMB. It wasn’t able to negotiate a cost prior to selecting the firm, Schuster said.
Councilor Glen Yung was “stunned” to learn that state law required the county to hire a contractor before a dollar amount was reached.
“This is probably the most bizarre thing that I have seen since I’ve been on the council,” Yung said.
Other councilors were also taken aback by the $12.8 million contract. Schuster said presenting the full cost up front is intended to avoid any later surprises.
“Most likely, we won’t [spend everything], but it could be a possibility depending on which way we decide to go with this remodel,” Schuster said.
The overall project, including the design and construction itself, is one of the largest projects the county has undertaken in recent memory, Schuster said.
Councilor Gary Medvigy also had issues with the contract.
“I don’t like the structure here. It is way too vague,” Medvigy said.
Clark County Manager Kathleen Otto said the vagueness Medvigy noted was a way for the county to maintain control of the discussion in the first phase of the project.
“It’s not them telling us what to do. It’s us telling them and the community what to do while being well-informed why we do it,” Otto said.
Medvigy said the last time the county tried to address its aging jail, the Correction Facility Advisory Commission spent 18 months researching a replacement for the current jail facilities before it ultimately concluded a new jail’s cost would be “untenable.”
Emery acknowledged the commission went through a lengthy process without much to show for it. She stressed the current process was different.
“We are gathering information. We’re taking actionable pieces. We’re moving it forward,” Emery said.
Currently, outside stakeholders are pushing for the county to complete the jail project. Otto said she heard from business leaders and the city of Vancouver that they support the project moving along
“Everybody, I think, is craving the same thing, and they want this to work and they want us to move in the right direction,” Otto said.
Before approving the final amount, the council wants to explore approving the smaller, first phase, which would cost about $500,000 and includes the stakeholder discussions.
Although the contract is divided into phases, approving only one will require reworking the contract. Clark County Chief Civil Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Leslie Lopez said KMB would need to give its approval.
“There’s a possibility that they would want to change some of the language of the contract, and then it would likely have to come back to council for approval,” Lopez said.
The council voted to send the contract back to staff and see if KMB will agree with approval on just the first phase. Should it agree, the contract will come back to the council in a future meeting.
