By Tracy Overstreet
tracy.overstreet@theindependent.com

Substantial completion was set for today but is about a week behind, said Fred Ruiz, Hall County corrections director.

"The week of (April) 1st through the 4th, the consultants and the architect a bunch of people will be out here checking systems and going over things," Ruiz said. "And if everything is OK, the architect will issue a 'substantial completion' to Chief (Construction), which will allow us, if we have an occupancy permit, to move in sometime after that."

Ruiz hopes to take possession on April 7. That's when training scenarios with staff could begin. Inmates aren't expected to make the move to the new jail until early summer.

The Corrections Department just completed hiring all the staff necessary to operate the 94,200-square-foot facility. But not all will be through basic training until April 21, Ruiz said.

That leaves time for Chief Construction to finish up any minor projects or fixes identified on next week's walk-through.

Chief Construction Project Coordinator Wendell Thompson said those final items on next week's "punch list" will likely be wrapped up in four to six weeks.

Ruiz said those final items could be things such as moving a socket, repairing drywall, adjusting the lighting or camera angle on a security camera nothing really major that would prevent any system from being completely operational.

Chief Construction submitted the $14.8 million low bid for the jail in July 2006 after voters approved a $22 million jail bond in November 2005.

"It's been a fairly good project for us," Thompson said. "Of course, weather held us up, and we probably lost a couple of months just on weather-related items alone."

The jail was originally scheduled to be completed in December 2007.

Besides the weather delays, Thompson said the project had some minimal supply issues with delivery early on of the precast concrete panels that make up the housing unit of the jail. It then had to find a new vendor of structural glazed tile when the original supplier went bankrupt.

"They've been struggling, but they are finally pulling it together here," said Chris Olsen, the project's architectural coordinator for Omaha architectural firm DLR. "I'm not sure they're quite final, but they're getting there."

Ruiz said the county did implement a fine system for Chief for every day the project isn't substantially complete after March 28. The fine is $500 a day.

If the project isn't substantially done by May 14, the fines go up to $3,000 a day.

"The fines start the 29th" Ruiz said. "They'll probably have a week of fines."

Thompson said Chief has constructed a project this size before. It built the Iams pet food plant near Aurora at a cost of about $15 million.

But this is Chief's first experience building a jail.

"The plumbing chases, I found very interesting, the plumbing chases between each set of cells just the amount of water pipes and drain pipes and HVAC duct work and the fire sprinkler lines. It's amazing how much was put into a little triangular area for a plumbing chase," Thompson said.

As public tours are offered before inmates move in, Thompson urged people to look at and appreciate the workmanship.

"There's a lot of security," he said, "cameras, intercoms by every security door. It's a bit more than the norm you see around this area. There's like 80 or 90 security cameras throughout the facility."

Thompson said the master control room is also interesting in that it sits in the center of the whole facility.

"You can see down the corridors and monitor movement in every direction," he said. "It's very interesting to look at the inside of that facility, and looking from the outside you would not know what is actually in there."