Contractor Selected for Oren R. Fox Detention Center in California
EL CENTRO, Calif. — Work on the future medium-security Oren R. Fox Detention Facility in El Centro is inching closer to commencement. The Imperial County Board of Supervisors has selected Balfour Beatty Construction, with U.S. headquarters in Dallas, to design and build the new $28 million facility. The Imperial County Board of Supervisors approved the conditional design-build contract award on Dec. 8.
“We are pleased to continue our tradition of building important projects in the Imperial Valley, and our dedicated team looks forward to safely delivering a quality project on schedule,” said Brian Cahill, president of Balfour Beatty Construction’s California Division, in a statement. The firm also recently completed the award-winning Las Colinas Women’s Detention and Reentry Facility located in Santee, Calif.
The two-level Oren R. Fox Detention Facility will serve multiple law enforcement agencies and will be erected west of the central portion of the existing jail facility. It will increase the county’s correctional capacity by 228 beds. In addition to housing areas, the facility will also include a teaching kitchen, laundry area, print shop and video visitation center. Associated site, parking and utility improvements will also take place. In total, the expansion will encompass approximately 64,000 square feet.
Design-build partners include Arrington Watkins Architects of Phoenix, HVAC/mechanical firm A.O. Reed of San Diego, electrical contractor Dynalectric with offices in San Diego, and security electronics contractor CML Security of Erie, Colo. The project is expected to break ground in the summer of 2016 with a targeted completion in the fall of 2017.
Funding for the Imperial County jail expansion project was provided through AB 900, a state measure approved by voters in 2011. The project was first advertised in late August 2015. The facility will be named for former Imperial County Sheriff Oren Fox in recognition of Fox’s 33 years of service and dedication to the community.