Officials say prison will still be built in Torrington
JOAN BARRON Star-Tribune capital bureau | Posted: Saturday, April 1, 2006 12:00 am
CHEYENNE - State and local officials said Friday they were confident that a new medium-security prison will be built in Torrington, even though a search for a general contractor produced a construction bid 86 percent over the amount of money budgeted for the project.
But they expressed puzzlement over the wide disparity between the $125.6 million bid from a Colorado company and the $84 million estimated for the project, following what was described as a "thorough" process to develop bid specifications.
"We had a very competent, experienced estimator working with us," said Melinda Brazzale, spokeswoman for the Wyoming Department of Corrections. "We felt very confident they built in any possible inflation, etcetera."
"I don't know how they could have missed the mark so far," said Brad Sutherland, director of the Goshen County Economic Development Corp. in Torrington.
Department Director Bob Lampert, Brazzale said, wants people to know that the prison will still be built in Torrington, and it is his current intention that the scope of the project will not change.
"We remain convinced that we'll be able to complete the task," Lampert told The Associated Press Friday. "It just won't be as quick as we hope, and it potentially won't be at the same cost."
The Legislature this year allocated $6.5 million more for the prison, including $3.8 million to cover increased costs of construction and $2.7 million to install a water-softening system.
Sutherland said it would be a "tough sell" to get the Legislature next year to allocate an additional $55 million for the prison.
"It's a delay, is what it is. It's still going to happen," he said of the prison construction.