On Thursday, June 22, Gallia County celebrated completion of a new jail in Gallipolis, Ohio with a Ribbon Cutting and Open House event.
About the Jail
The new 32,000 square foot brick façade structure replaces an existing jail, constructed in 1962. With this project, Gallia County officials sought to create safer conditions, increase amenities and address overcrowding and code violation concerns, expanding bed capacity from 22 to 120, with an option to add 40 more beds in the future. The new facility includes updated security electronics and detention systems, as well as video visitation stations, food service and medical areas.
The new two-story jail was constructed in the parking lot of the existing Gallia County Courthouse. County officials selected this location over other options due in part to its affordance of existing utility systems, making the new facility more cost efficient. This location also reduces transport time between the jail and courthouse.
Construction Management
Granger Construction was the Construction Management partner on this $17.8 million project, working with architect partners from DLZ.
“This project was a journey of perseverance and problem solving,” noted Granger Director of Ohio Margie Ramsey.” The team worked through many cost estimates and design revisions to ensure the facility was right sized to meet the County’s needs. “Efforts from all partners have resulted in a beautiful new facility that will serve Gallia County and its citizens for decades.”
From the beginning, the team faced multiple site logistics challenges, including coordinating operations in the middle of a busy downtown area. The jobsite offered limited laydown space, with occupied buildings situated 11 and 30 feet adjacent. To ensure safety and limit disruption to local traffic, the team worked extensively with community partners to coordinate thoughtful logistics plans.
One solution involved constructing ¾ of the building, leaving the last ¼ of the footprint for use as a crane pad. This approach ensured the team could progress critical schedule milestones without needing to block a main street during several months of construction, limiting traffic disruption to the last ¼ of building completion.
During his remarks at the Ribbon Cutting, Gallia County Sheriff Matt Champlin gave special recognition to Granger Superintendent Matt Bauer for his extraordinary efforts on this project – noting that Matt was the glue that held this project together and a huge part of the overall success of their new facility.
