CHARLESTON, Ark. — A California-based contractor has been selected and approved as a consultant for the planned state prison in Franklin County.
Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced the project in a release and radio interview on Oct. 31. The state has purchased just over 800 acres of land in Charleston for $2.95 million and now awaits a vote of approval from the Board of Corrections to begin the project.
According to a services contract shared by the State of Arkansas, the Department of Corrections is contracting Vanir Construction Management of Sacramento to provide "professional owner's representation" for the new prison.
The contract listed the following scope and objectives for Vanir and the project:
"The project scope will involve supplementing the department representing the owner during the selection processes and the design, construction, and warranty-period occupancy of a new proposed correctional facility in the State of Arkansas. The project is to increase the number of bed spaces available to the department with a new facility for maximum, medium, and minimum-security inmates."
The contract went into effect on Oct. 22, 2024, and will end on Oct. 21, 2028, unless terminated or canceled. During this term, the State of Arkansas will owe the contractor a maximum of $16,542,424 which will cover services and travel reimbursement.
Vanir's website describes the company as a "proud minority- and woman-owned firm" as well as a nationwide leader in real estate development and program, project, and construction management.
The company has served over 700 clients in its 60 years of business and has 24 offices nationwide, according to its website.
Sanders has confirmed that current plans suggest the prison will have around 3,000 beds and will work to alleviate the prison bed shortage in the state.
"For Charleston, Franklin County, and the River Valley, it will offer hundreds of permanent, recession-proof jobs and millions of dollars in investment," Sanders said.
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