County Approves Bid Work Begins On Expansion Of Kootenai County Jail

The Kootenai County Commission on Tuesday awarded a bid for major site work for the jail expansion.

The commissioners unanimously approved the $382,400 bid by Riverland Excavation Inc. to do the excavation work for the jail expansion, work release center and recreational vehicle dump station - all located at the north end of the Kootenai County Fairgrounds.

Riverland was the only company to submit a bid.

David Cooper, county jail project manager, said work has already started on the job.

“We are trying to get it done before the fair in August,” he said.

Cooper also hosted a pre-bid conference Tuesday for contractors interested in submitting bids for the construction of the work release center.

Bids are due back to the county by June 29.

That construction, which will allow the county to bring back inmates held in other counties, should be done by December, Cooper said.

In other business, the commission also accepted two bids Tuesday for the detention bars, doors, windows and window frames that will make up the inside of the expanded jail.

Architectural Building Supply, of Idaho Falls, had the low bid of $535,600.

Commissioner Dick Compton was pleased that the bid came in below the projected cost, which was more than $700,000.

The commission also voted to allow the Kootenai County Fair Board to sell any excess topsoil left over from the three projects.

Cooper said the original plan was to sell the soil to contractors capping the 165-acre pile of tailings at the Bunker Hill Superfund site in Wallace.

County Administrator Tom Taggart said the fair board will now put the topsoil up for bid.

“In light of the amount of land we have taken from the fairgrounds, we felt they could make a little money back by selling the topsoil,” Taggart said.