Submitted by Susan Hardee Steger
July 9, 2014 6:52 p.m.
On the morning of July 9, submitted bids for design and construction of the Nassau County Sheriff’s Administration Building and for the 911 Call Center were opened. Within hours, an evaluation committee recommended that the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) award the bid to Acon Construction Co., Inc., of Jacksonville, low bidder on both projects.
Three bids on the Sheriff’s Admininstration Building ranged from a high of 9.2 million to Acon’s low bid of 7.76 million. Two bids were received for the 911 Call Center with a high bid of of 1.997 million and Acon’s low bid of 1.92 million.
The recommended bid must receive approval from the BOCC. County Attorney David Hallman, suggested approval of the bids take place during the July 28th BOCC meeting.
Plans for a new Sheriff’s facility were under discussion for years. A 2001 proposal placed the square footage for the building at 50,000 square feet. Currents plans have downsized the square footage to 30,000.
Both buildings will be located near the Nassau County Judicial Offices.
We could get by and do well with about half of the above . Our county commissioners are going to raise our taxes to pay for something we don’t need . Sheriff Leeper attends all the county commissioners meetings and never gets up to speak . He must meet in private after the meetings because he gets everything he ask for . Our commissioners recently approved forty eight thousand dollars for the Sheriff’s Department to use for travel ( Can’t imagine where our Sheriff want’s to go .) Now that Leeper has his building he will want to create high paying , high powered jobs for his retired friend’s and retired JSO Officer’s to fill all the vacant office space he will have. Retired JSO already hold all the top jobs in the Sheriff’s office . What do we get ? A tax hike .
George, I’m sure if you call Sheriff Leeper he can give you a clear description of the need for the travel expenses. My guess it is related to travel costs (lodging and meals) for officers to attend specific training classes held in other parts of the State. If you have ever seen the current facility I can’t imagine why you don’t think there is a need.
I just hope there is sufficient oversight on the construction so we don’t end up with problems like happened at the judicial annex with the leaking windows, roof and now the sidewalks cracking. The Commission’s recent decision to let the contractor responsible for their own road inspection instead of having it done by an independent inspector is probably penny wise and pound foolish unless there is a strong and long-term performance bond associated with the work.
Why don’t we nickel and dime this to death, as we had always done?
Let the sheriff and his deputies stay in these deteriorating hovels.
Folks, this is our county’s top law enforcement agency; these folks deserve better than that. The evidence storage, the weapons room, as well as the rooms where our law enforcement officers get their instructions, where they prepare to patrol our stores, and homes, should be at least functional – THEY ARE NOT.
Gerhardt Thamm
The officer’s that patrol our stores and homes need new cars and a raise . All the high paying, top jobs at the sheriff’s office are held by retired J.S.O. officers and some of the Sheriff’s friend’s and neighbor’s. The new building will give them a nice place to hang out. Retired upper management from the J.S.O. will do the same thing for Nassau County they did for Duval County . Bankrupt !