Grant County Jail

Ephrata, Washington:

We are proud to announce the progress of the new Grant County Jail, an essential addition to the community’s law enforcement infrastructure. Spanning 158,000 SF, the facility will feature 512 secure beds across specialized jail pods, medical and infirmary services, administrative spaces, and more. The facility is designed to support the sheriff’s office, evidence storage, laundry, kitchen, and booking areas, ensuring comprehensive operational efficiency.

This project has involved innovative problem-solving and cost-saving strategies from the very start. A key challenge was planning for both the jail and sheriff’s office within a tight budget. The mechanical systems for these two spaces were initially designed separately, anticipating that the sheriff’s office might not be approved if costs exceeded the budget. However, thanks to the approval of the Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) by the Board of Commissioners, we were able to include the sheriff’s office in the design.

PREFAB PODS FOR PRECISION

Each jail cell is being prefabricated off-site and delivered in modular units for on-site stacking and assembly. Our multi-trade racks (MTRs), which are also prefabricated, will be installed right after the pods, ensuring that final piping, duct, and other essential connections are efficiently made. The accuracy of this approach is essential to avoid costly rework.

Our team, particularly MacDonald-Miller’s estimating division, executed a significant mechanical redesign to combine systems and reduce costs without sacrificing quality. Prefabrication techniques– such as creating off-site jail pods and multi-trade racks – have been instrumental in maintaining this project’s schedule and budget. Prefabrication helps us maintain a high level of accuracy in BIM coordination, minimizing rework and disruptions.

Once the jail is complete, the project will remodel the existing Law & Justice Building, where 36,000 SF will be demolished, and 54,000 SF will be remodeled to provide additional support spaces and expand courthouse facilities.

 

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Categories: General

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