Construction on the new Douglas County jail should be under way by next October. and local workers will get preference, according to Eric Johnson, project manager.

“We’ll be turning dirt by October and should be moving in during the latter part of 2012,” Johnson told a 10 a.m. Friday informational meeting on the new jail and law enforcement center. “It’s a $150 million job and enough work to go around for everybody. Everything will be advertised with preference to local contractors. We want to use as many Douglas County workers as possible.”

About 200 representatives of contractors, architects and other building trades packed Citizens Hall to learn more about the project which was approved by voters in a Nov. 3, 1-cent special purpose local option sales tax (SPLOST) referendum.

The 550,000-square-foot structure will house up to 1,500 inmates. It will be built on a 32-acre site near the county courthouse, adjacent to a new 911 emergency center now under construction.

Ronnie Wood, county engineer of record and project coordinator, said the first steps in the process include finding an investment banker for the bond issue, then hiring an architect and construction manager-at-risk.

Applications for these positions will be advertised, and a county committee will review the qualifications and develop a short list, Wood said. Interviews will be held and the committee will make the final selection, which will be sent to the Board of Commissioners (BOC) for its approval.

Johnson said qualifications for the construction manager-at-risk will include previous jail building experience and high-rise construction experience, He said the contract will also include a provision that the construction fit into the master county plan and that preference is given to local workers.

“We’re ready to go and we need to get moving very quickly,” Johnson told the meeting. “We want to see that you can meet this schedule, you have enough experience, have established a budget and can work with the design team.”

He said the county would also like to see lists of staff members.

“If you have half or more of your staff from Douglas County, that’s great,” he said.

Johnson said all the bidding process would go through the county’s purchasing department.

County Administrator Eric Linton said all information about the jail project, as it moves from start to completion, will be posted on the county government Web site, www.CelebrateDouglasCounty.com.

“This project will be under a microscope and we’ll have full disclosure (on all spending) on our Web site,” Linton said.

District Commissioners Freddie Ashmon Jr. and Kelly Robinson both spoke out for local participation in the bid process.

“My biggest concern is getting everybody in Douglas County working,” Ashmon said.

Robinson thanked those present and urged firms that plan to bid to do everything possible to meet the project requirements and be successful.

“It’s a very competitive bid and very tight schedule pressure,” he said.

Chief Deputy Stan Copeland echoed the call to put local employees to work and said the jail is badly needed.

“The sooner we get this place open, the sooner we can bring the inmates back where they belong from other counties, and quit paying them (other counties) for housing,” Copeland said.

Johnson emphasized that Friday’s meeting was “a public information meeting” so that prospective bidders could all get facts on the new jail at the same time.

“Please be sure to sign in and list your trade so that we have a start on seeing who wants to work on this project,” he said.