VALLEY CITY, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – Architects, engineers and construction managers give presentations to the Barnes County Jail Committee on September 26th.

Earlier this month, members of the jail committee voted to pursue every available grant or resource to build a new jail.

Mark Ludgatis represents the Architectural firm of BWBR. He said the estimated cost to build a 20 bed jail would be $8.3 million and the cost to build a 40 bed facility would be about $11 million. Ludgatis urged the committee to hire a construction manager to help watch every cost during every phase of the construction process.

Representatives from Klein McCarthy Architects presented a plan that would build a new facility on the present site, using the northwest corner parking lot for the proposed addition. Another proposal they presented would be to close a city street and buyout properties directly north of the jail to build a new structure. The firm did not give a cost estimate at that meeting.

Greg Burchill of Enterprise sales in Valley City said their company could save the county 30 percent or more of the estimated cost. He said using design building bases would save money through coop purchases. Burchill said his company helped Stoudt Ross Ford and Faith Lutheran Church save money on their construction cost using this concept.

The cost to renovate a portion of the Barnes County jail was estimated at $3.5 million. A majority of the jail committee members believe renovating the jail would be a waste of money.