Stephanie Croston

    The Seward County Commissioners took another step toward a new county jail as they were shown six different visions for the facility.
     The presentations comprised a special meeting Dec. 5 at the civic center.
     The commissioners had sent letters to the firms asking for specific information, including assistance with a possible bond issue, fees and reimbursements, experience with other criminal justice projects and charges for developing a construction plan.
     All six companies emphasized their success with bond issues, and all said they would work with the county in presenting the bond information to county residents.
     As far as fees went, all were between 6.5 and nine percent of the project costs.
     Joe Ruzicka, board chairman, said the commissioners would set a timeline for review during the Tuesday, Dec. 18, meeting.
    Durrant/BVH
     The Durrant Group of Des Moines, Iowa, and BVH Architects of Lincoln were the first group to present. They previously designed the Lincoln/Lancaster County Justice Center and the Douglas County Justice Center.
     Michael Lewis of the Durrant Group said their focus would be on an integrated design. The facility would be able to support the policies and philosophy of the county jail and provide flexible solutions.
     The design of the jail would implement an inside-out approach, which minimizes prisoner movement and enhances sight lines for the staff.
     Don Swanson of the Durrant Group said their designers are always looking for ways to be energy efficient, using daylight wherever possible.
     Their plan would be based on growth trends, demographics, the goals of the sheriff's department and county needs.
     Mike Moran of the Durrant Group said they would verify space needs, understanding where the county has been. They would also look at potential sites, considering access, impact, expansion and zoning.
     Dan Spiry of BVH Architects said they would evaluate all the options.
     "We turn over all the stones," he said.
    DLR Group
     Representatives of the DLR Group of Omaha said they would take a service-delivery approach. They would hold workshops in Seward with the key participants.
     To select a site, Martin Berglund said, they would at possibilities and consider size, parking, access, utilities, zoning, location, environmental issues, soil conditions, topography and availability.
     The current jail site is approximately 2.1 acres, with a 300-foot by 300-foot jail building.
     DLR Group's design would allow for proper supervision of inmates using direct sight lines. Berglund also talked briefly about the differences between two-person cells and dormitory situations for inmates.
     The architects would also look at the potential for video visitation and video arraignments, both of which would help minimize movement of prisoners from one area to another.
     As far as the outside appearance of the jail, Berglund said, DLR Group would try to match it to the town.
     DLR Group designed and built the Saline County Law Enforcement Center in Wilber and the Hall County Jail in Grand Island.
    Carlson West Povondra
     Carlson West Povondra Associates (CWPA) of Omaha emphasized that, although it is a small firm, it provides the same services a big firm would.
     Among its projects are the Nebraska Correctional Center for Women in York, the Adams County Jail expansion in Hastings and City of Crete Police Station.
     "We don't design in a vacuum," Al Povondra said.
     One of their goals would be to minimize operational costs. Povondra said they look at geothermal equipment for heating and cooling, as well as bringing in daylight to save on electrical costs.
     They have a best-practices mindset, he said, which means they look at what would best suit the county. He talked about video conferencing and a virtual courtroom, security cameras and choices in jail cell construction.
     To choose the best site for a new jail, Povondra said, they use a site evaluation matrix. That allows the potential sites to be considered objectively.
     Povondra said CWPA is different because it takes time in the pre-construction phase to ensure that construction goes well and the finished product is what the county wanted.
    Goldberg, Sullivan and McCrerey
     Larry Goldberg of Goldberg, Sullivan and McCrerey (GSM), St. Joseph, Mo., told the commissioners that his firm would work in three balanced phases-design, financing and staffing and operations. If there's no balance, there will be difficulties, he said.
     He said the design for the jail would include areas specifically for men and women and areas that could be for either, depending on the inmate population at the time. The pod arrangement would allow for direct prisoner supervision.
     "It's not a geometric game. It's a custody game," he said.
     GSM puts five-year warranties on all its projects and requires 10-year warranties on its cells.
     They take the responsibility for the budget on each project and offer training for the staff after the facility is completed. They work on the policy and procedure plan and assist in the transition process, Goldberg said.
     GSM is currently working on the Buffalo County Courthouse in Kearney and recently completed the Boone County courthouse/jail renovation.
     Goldberg emphasized that, although GSM is a small firm, it has national experience.
     "We have small-firm continuity," he said.
     GSM will work with Cannon Moss Brygger of Grand Island.
    Davis Design/Rosser Int'l
     Davis Design, Lincoln, is already familiar with Seward, having worked on the Seward Memorial Hospital renovation. They are currently working on a project at Southeast Community College in Milford.
     They would be working with Rosser International, which has offices in Atlanta and Savannah, Ga., and San Antonio, Texas.
     Their jail design would include cells, dayrooms, showers, recreation and multiuse areas. Once the operations are determined, they would develop a conceptual site diagram.
     They would also work on site analysis for potential locations, considering acreages, parking, city development, jail and court expansion and costs.
     During the construction phase, Mike Wachal of Davis Design said, they would use local subcontractors and suppliers as much as possible.
     He discussed two different budget methods-the design-bid-build method and the CM@Risk method. CM@Risk allows the construction to move more quickly because costs are known sooner. It does require a good contractor and a good architect to make it work, Wachal said.
     When developing a project budget, he said, they consider building systems, life cycle costs and maintenance costs.
    Prochaska and Associates
     Don Prochaska of Prochaska and Associates, Omaha, emphasized that they are a multi-disciplinary firm that includes representatives of all seven architectural areas.
     His firm recently completed the jail renovation and expansion project in Butler County and are working in Cuming County.
     Prochaska and Associates would help with the site selection, develop master plan concepts and options for expansion and develop the project budget and schedule as part of the pre-design services.
     In the design services phase, they would develop the design and construction documents, handling the bidding and negotiations and oversee the project.
     The company looks for ways to save energy costs, Prochaska said. If a facility can reduce life-cycle energy costs by one percent, it will pay for itself. He said his company has been able to reduce those costs more than 40 percent.
     Prochaska also discussed the design-bid-build method, the design-build method and the CM@Risk method, which is the one they prefer because it guarantees a maximum price and has the least financial uncertainty.