An inmate in the custody of the Department of Corrections. The Alabama Department of Corrections said Tuesday that there was a "reasonable concern" that a 4,000-bed men's prison facility would not be completed before an Oct. 15 deadline. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector)
The Alabama Department of Corrections said in a statement on Tuesday that there is a “reasonable concern” that the opening of a 4,000-bed men’s correctional facility in Elmore County could be delayed.
The statement said that Caddell, the contractor responsible for building the $1.25 billion Gov. Kay Ivey Correctional Complex, may not meet an Oct. 15 deadline to complete work on the project, based on the terms of a contract between the company and the ADOC.
“Based on these factors, ACIFA (Alabama Corrections Institution Finance Authority) has implemented contractual remedies available to it under the DBA (Design-Build Agreement), including requiring Caddell to implement extraordinary measures such as additional contractors or workers and additional shifts, as well as payment withholding,” ADOC said in a statement.
The statement, released prior to a scheduled meeting of a legislative prison oversight committee on Wednesday, did not provide details about the reasons for the delay or how long it might last. A message seeking comment was sent Tuesday to Caddell and the Hoar Program Management, the firm responsible for managing the construction project. A message was also sent to the ADOC on Tuesday seeking further comment.
State lawmakers, including Rep. Chris England, D-Tuscaloosa and Sen. Greg Albritton, R-Atmore, the chair of the Senate’s General Fund committee, said Tuesday they were unaware of delays regarding the facility.
“The legislative leadership has been briefed that, based on some percentages of completion in some areas, there could be a chance that it could go past the Oct. 15 date,” said Rep. Rex Reynolds, R-Huntsville, the chair of the House Ways and Means General Fund committee. “But our posture is that we want to see this thing completed.”
Both Albritton and Reynolds said they do not expect the cost to the state to increase significantly based on the terms of the state’s agreement with the contractor.
“If there are delays, as I understand it, those delays would be at the cost of the vendor, not to the state,” Albritton said.
The opening of the Ivey Correctional Complex was initially scheduled for May of this year, but officials late last year pushed the date to October.
The Alabama Legislature in 2021 approved the construction of two new men’s prisons in Elmore and Escambia counties, each with 4,000 beds. The Elmore County prison will also feature a medical and mental health area that will have 720 beds.
Officials said two new facilities are needed because the state’s current prisons are outdated and require more money to maintain them for use. Critics say the prisons will not address overcrowding or widespread violence within the state’s correctional facilities.
Both the Elmore and Escambia sites were not supposed to add capacity but replace the aging facilities that are designated to be closed. However, lawmakers have become increasingly concerned that because of the growing prison population, the state may need to keep facilities open.
The Legislature appropriated $1.3 billion for the construction of the two prisons, but the Elmore County facility has consumed nearly all of that appropriation, due to inflation and higher than projected costs on portions of the prison. State officials in 2025 approved additional borrowing of $500 million for prison construction.
From Alabama Reflector Post Url: Visit
Author: Ralph Chapoco