The planned new Porter County Highway Garage as well as significant renovations to the Porter County Jail are halfway through the design phase with cost estimates coming in. The Porter County Council Tuesday evening approved $3.3 million for consultant fees and $3 million for contractual services between the two projects.
The potential price tag of the highway garage has been controversial and Tuesday Porter County Councilman Jeremy Rivas, D-2nd, asked Porter County Attorney Scott McClure, who advises and represents the Porter County Commissioners, for a cost estimate on the garage, as well as how much money might be left over for the jail and other capital improvements such as renovations to the Porter County Juvenile Detention Center.
“I believe that number is $18 million, all in,” McClure responded regarding the highway garage price tag, explaining that figure includes soft costs such as furnishings and construction costs combined. “We’re probably within 30 days of being able to come in and say this is the estimate from Skillman.”
Those estimates are also being done for the jail. Rivas asked if that process would include any major needs in the final cut.
“Is it going to take care of every need at the jail? No,” replied McClure. “Do I believe we’re on track to get to the vast majority of the As? Yes.”
McClure explained the process lays out all needs ranked in importance as A, B, and C tiers. Those needs and wants are then whittled down to the $18 million cap which the law sets for any individual project within the bond.
The $25 million bond netted $24.5 million after fees and management costs. Subtracting the $18 million for the garage leaves $6.5 million for the jail.
This, however, may not be all the county ultimately spends on the jail renovation as the law allows for, and the county has not ruled out, the issuing of a second bond 366 days after the first. McClure said the cap for any individual project on that second bond would be $18.3 million.
“Everyone who’s been out there knows it’s a behemoth,” McClure said. “Everything in a jail is very expensive.”
Regarding the highway garage, McClure said the $18 million includes architects’ costs, soft costs, and contingency budgeting. He said actual construction costs are likely to fall at $13.5 to $14 million.
“Is this going to push us into a corner and not be able to do the JDC?” Rivas wanted to know. He has repeatedly voiced concern over the past year that the safety of staff working at the jail and JDC should surpass any capital needs.
McClure said there would likely be $7 million left over from a second bond after jail renovations were completed.
Commissioners President Jim Biggs, R-North, defended the cost of the highway garage in a phone call Thursday afternoon.
“It makes little sense, in my opinion, to spend millions of dollars on a facility that, at the end of the day, doesn’t get the job done,” he said, pointing out that $30 million worth of heavy equipment currently sits outside at the existing facility.
He said the county cannot afford to replace snow plow trucks that cost over $300,000 each every six or seven years because they’ve rusted out. He referred to the pruning process McClure had mentioned, explaining meetings are held almost every week on the county’s progress on the Memorial Opera House, Highway Garage, and jail renovations.
“That is not usual for projects like this to meet that often, but we’re trying to hold the cost down.
“It seems like the people who are asking the most questions on that are the same people who were willing to spend $10 million on the Memorial Opera House, which doesn’t even provide any of our core services,” Biggs said. “The hypocrisy is numbing.”
Shelley Jones is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
