By MARK WAITE
PVT
Nye County Sheriff Tony DeMeo remembered when he was a sheriff-elect eight years ago, touring several jail facilities in Utah and California with former county officials Henry Neth, Dave Chavez and Mike Maher.
“By the end of 2003, we’d have our shovels to the ground and we’d be on our way to building a new facility. As you can tell, we’re seven years past that and that didn’t happen until today,” DeMeo said.
The sheriff, re-elected to a third term in November, spoke during groundbreaking ceremonies Wednesday morning for the new $16.6 million Pahrump jail that will initially have space for 242 beds.
The deputies are very excited to be getting a new jail, DeMeo said. As for himself, he said, “Christmas comes early.”
Tom Schoeman, president of JMA architects, said the 57,500-square-foot facility is a major project for Nye County. While it will house 224 inmates in the initial phase, architects master planned the site for a second phase sometime in the future with another 224 inmates, for a total of 448, he said.
“In my mind this is I think the largest project that Nye County has ever participated in. This is a very momentous occasion. It’s a great opportunity for local construction companies to try and get some business here,” County Manager Rick Osborne said.
Commissioner Gary Hollis said briefly: “We’re here today to break ground and to fulfill a vision that has been long thought about and planned for. This is a much-needed project for Nye County and the infrastructure of the county and with this jail project we’re looking into the future.”
Bruce McDonough, vice-president of Layton Construction Company, said “This is a great day for us and I believe it’s a great day for the county. We’re excited about this project because it’s something we know how to do. We’ve been involved doing detention work for the last 10 or 15 years actually, but primarily in the last five years we’ve built a number of facilities and we’re very familiar with the basic design that’s being used here.”
One of the recent projects was a 1,000-bed inmate overflow facility for Clark County near Nellis Air Force Base.
The detention area in the new jail will be an octagon shape, with a central command observation point in the middle, surrounded by 11 pods. A rectangular area will surround the octagon on the west and north sides, with the kitchen, laundry and sally port on the Kittyhawk Street side to the west, the public entrance with a video visitation room will be on the north facing Siri Lane.
“When I got elected four years ago one of the first things on my mind was our courthouse was too small and our jail was very, very outdated and after four years of persistence with myself, Commissioner Hollis and others, it’s a reality now. Our courthouse has been expanded and now we’re going to have a jail that’s going to be suitable for at least 20 years in the future,” Commissioner Butch Borasky said.
Ed Deffner, Layton Construction’s senior project manager, told local contractors they will set up a trailer at the site next Wednesday, when they will have a bid package for footings, foundation and utility work. That work is expected to be completed by March 1, when another bid package will go out for mechanical, plumbing and electrical work, finished trades and interior work, he said.
“We’re expecting a 16-month construction schedule and right now it’s targeted for a Jan. 6 start. We’re obviously looking for ways to accelerate that. Time is money,” Deffner said.
Deffner said his company made an agreement with Nye County to hire as many local people as possible. A number of local contractors and vendors attended a briefing after the groundbreaking, including representatives from Ron Murphy Construction, Nye Construction Company, Morales Construction and Floyd’s Ace Hardware.
“One of our concerns, given the market today, I’m involved in one job today, a $20 million job, we had three contractors go out of business on that job. We’re obviously very concerned what that does to the schedule, what that does to the owners, what that does to the morale of the job,” Deffner said.
McDonough said if out-of-town subcontractors are chosen, they will be encouraged to hire from the local labor force.
Assistant County Manager Pam Webster backed up the company.
“When they go into communities they’re dedicated to using people from the community. They got a good history,” Webster said.
The request for proposals specified construction experience. Layton Construction, of Sandy, Utah, was the lowest in a short list of five companies recommended by a county committee. The construction cost will be $14.7 million of the $16.6 million contract with Layton.
Webster said the county will be using interest off the endowment funds built up with years of Yucca Mountain money, which are generating about $2.3 million per year of interest. The debt service on the bonds will be just under $1.4 million per year, she said.
The federal government will finance 35 percent of the interest in an economic stimulus package program called Build America Bonds. Webster said the county will pay a net interest rate of 4 percent.
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- HORACE LANGFORD JR. / PVT – Dignitaries breaking ground for the new Pahrump jail include, from left, consultant Russell Rau, president of C3 Corrections; Nye County Purchasing Director Judy Dodge; Tom Schoeman, president of JMA architects; Layton Construction Senior Project Manager Ed Deffner; Sheriff Tony DeMeo; County Manager Rick Osborne, Commissioner Butch Borasky; Commissioner Gary Hollis; Assistant County Manager Pam Webster, county commissioner-elect Dan Schinhofen and Layton Construction Vice-President Bruce McDonough.
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- HORACE LANGFORD JR. / PVT – The Pahrump Jail has a capacity of 37, too small for the size of the town’s population. At right, the design of the new Pahrump jail shows the octagonal shape of the detention area and rectangular parts around it for the kitchen, laundry, visitation area and other facilities.
Wht a joke..lol just set-up our kids and familys to become failures in Pahrump so tht the fat gett fattier and us little 1′s try 2 shut up!!! I’ve been in tht jail afew times,nothing 2 brag abt but hello folks we aint in there 4 a sunday picinic:)Stop the crimes in the Dr.s offices and pharmacys and u’ll have half the problems solved so u wont need new rooms 4 the rael bad ones:)Go check it out,from seeing and not hearing second hand:0 Sit in a court hearing with Brisbel and laugh u’re butt off how bad the system really is!!! sad….We need a boys club and girls club people or there r r next set of pahrumpians 2 fill tht new jail:) have great day:) F.U.R.B.xoxo
You such a pinhead, You are such a loser bragging that you were in that jail, hopefully they will lock your pathetic life up for good…They need to take out the trash in Pahrump starting with Meth heads like you and work down their list of bone heads that are breaking the law out here….Hey are you the informant for the Street Crime Unit…
After reading some of your posts, I would say you are the Pahrump trash.
what other revenues we have sgt joe??? thats y there are so many ppl in jail… money. thats the $1 million question
Forget about god. He’s a myth. In truth we worship the Almighty Dinero. It’s all about the green baby. It’s what runs this country. Not the people, not our laws.
Greg is quite correct in his statements. People should educate themselves in how our government is run. The Federal Reserve is NOT part of the government. There is no reserve — they just keep printing money. Have you noticed how you don’t make much more money and yet everything else has gone up? I remember buying a meal in 1983 and that meal cost 1.50 and now that same meal is over 10.00 and yet my wages have not gone up to compensate. Private prisons are in it for the MONEY and not for REHABILITATION, no matter what you hear, the bottom line is the dollar and when greed runs the corporation or the person, there is no benefit for the average person – me and you. Wake up and educate yourselves, read. History repeats itself and this country is doomed unless we learn from history.
It would be the biggest irony…a once mighty nation run to the ground. Is that what awaits us? Is the US destined to become a third world country? The corruption, the endless stream of pseudo money. The future is starting to looking pretty scary. Who knows in a couple of decades Mexico may be dealing with American illegals crossing the Rio Grande. What’s left of it.
Where have you been???? This IS the THIRD WORLD COUNTRY !!!!
And until our politicians learn to think outside the box and stop taking stimulus and grants, our country will never pull itself out of this mess. Remember, they said we coming out of the recession as a new wave of foreclosures come and more unemployment. Growth here is a good idea, but it needs to be sustainable growth, looking at all the pitfalls including the water situation, neighborhoods, etc. All I can say is EDUCATE YOURSELVES as to the situation in this county, country. Don’t be apathetic. Positivity is a good idea, if you make your ideas known before a project. I am so tired of the name calling when people don’t call their representatives, county commissioners, town board, etc., and then sit here and gripe. How can you be positive if no one hears your voice? Sometimes being negative is in reality positive if you look deeper than the surface and don’t prostitute yourself.
Love how the price tag keeps going up…first 14 million, than 16. In two weeks the price tag will be hovering around 20 mil. And the fact that we can come up with so much money to support big business and the criminal populace all the while hacking away at school budgets is astounding. Hey, gotta make sure those jails stay full…..we’re thinking about our kids futures here.
They need 2 fill it with METH dealers in this town!! Sorry abt any honest 1′s tht might get cock blocked in this round.Lay low my friends im going in 4 the kill and just 4 a select few:)If u know wht findings r in a court case,well i got mine!!! so 4 u stupid 1′s this is called snitching whn u’ll write a report against someone whn they’ve done nothing 2 u:)Stupid meth heads…..U have all just lied 2 the police and now taking others along with u. Nice:)4 U’re information TERRY MCCABE i am taking my meds and thanks 2 u not selling 2 me meth thanks again:)My lab work leaglly came out drug free so now wht?The next should show pot,i was at familys in L.A. 4 thksgiving:)Ticket from CHPs i love tht cop:) says i wasnt even in town:) NOW WHT? Move it drug enforcement!!!! having nice holidays on our dime? Get them all and thn go back 2 u’re feastiest…Make Pahrump a better place:) MY WISH 4 ALL OF US:)
Here, learn the truth, find out who the REAL CROOKS ARE!!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtHCIXVb_eo&NR=1
Translation: Were going to hire all out of town contractors. Once the job is finished, we might hire ten lucky Pahrump residents. Oh and the politicians are going to pocket a bundle off this little sweetheart deal.