Detention

Mower County Jail & Justice Center

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Owner
Mower County
Architect
KKE Architects, Inc.
Service
Construction Manager
City
Austin, Minnesota
Size
99,000 sq. ft.

This new jail and justice center facility is in the heart of historic downtown Austin. The first floor is dedicated to the jail and its support functions — vehicle sally port, booking area, jail administration offices, medical, dental, kitchen, laundry and mechanical spaces. The justice center is located on the second floor. It includes two courtrooms, a holding area, a hearing room and three judge's chambers. There is also office space for Court Administration, Probation and the County Attorney’s Office.

Knutson’s early involvement in the Mower County Jail allowed for preparation of tight bid packages for the construction bidders, thus eliminating holes in scope, identifying quality control plans and commitment to the project schedule at bid time. Thirty bid packages were issued that instructed each bidder exactly what to include and what not include in their bid. The result: bids had no holes, there were no duplicate items between bidders, and they were completely in scope. We also provided the bidders with a copy of the project quality control plan, so they knew the quality expectations and the types of inspections that would be performed. The bids received were 13% below the design estimate; we feel this is due to both the economy and the organization of our bid packages.