Three companies that submitted their qualifications to Lyon County are vying to become the builder of the new or reconstructed Lyon County jail.
Q&D Construction of Sparks, Clark and Sullivan Construction of Sparks and CORE Construction of Las Vegas were found to be the most qualified for the project, which could involve building a brand new facility in Dayton or Silver Springs, or remodeling the existing jail in Yerington.
County Engineer Dick Faber said five companies submitted their qualifications to the county. They were reviewed by a panel comprised of Sheriff Allen Veil and Undersheriff Joe Sanford; two citizens, Joe Mortenson of Fernley and Kurt Davis of Dayton; and three county employees Paul Esswein, Fred Hall and Gary Fried.
Faber said by state law he has to have a minimum of three qualified panelists to judge the submittals, but he preferred to have seven, two who would be using the facility, two citizens and three staff members.
"That way you get a pretty good breakdown," he said.
That panel chose the top three candidates, which the commission must now approve at the next meeting Oct. 16 in Dayton.
If approved, the three will be asked to submit proposals for construction of the facility, both a new facility and the remodel of the Yerington jail.
The two remaining companies that submitted their qualifications were West Coast Contractors of Reno and McAlvain Construction of Boise, Idaho.
At the Oct. 2 commission meeting, Commissioner Bob Milz, who is not running for re-election, was unhappy with the slow process and wanted it to move faster.
He said he and other commissioners have been working with the sheriff on this issue for several years, and wanted to be around to vote on the final project.
"This should be done now and we should be able to vote on it before we are out of office," he said.
Commissioner LeRoy Goodman, who also is retiring, said he was more concerned about "two lame ducks making the decisions."
"Then two new people come on and say, 'wait a minutes, this is something we are going to be in charge of and we don't have any say,'" he said.
But Milz said the decisions should be made by those who worked on the issue.
"How are you going to bring in two new people after we're out and they don't know anything about what we're doing?" he asked. "We are going to rely on them to make a good judgment on this issue? It doesn't make sense."
Lyon County District Attorney Bob Auer said the way the law is set, contractors must go through the qualification process first, and the panel process. Though it is slow, it is a required hoop Faber had to jump through.
"You get a list of qualified people who can do this kind of work," he said. "That way you don't have anyone trying to build a jail that aren't qualified. Then once you get a list of qualified people, then they bid on the project."
He said the process seemed convoluted but was done that way in order to avoid getting unqualified contractors bidding on a project.
Faber said he was able to speed up the process so that the final decision will be made by the existing board of commissioners on Dec. 18.
He said 15 companies came to the county's mandatory site visit and that prequalified them to provide submissions of qualifications.
The sites considered are donated land in Silver Springs and Dayton, as well as the Yerington jail.
• Contact reporter Karen Woodmansee at kwoodmansee@nevadaappeal.com or call 881-7351.
IF YOU GO
WHAT: Lyon County Commission meeting
WHEN: 9 a.m. Oct. 16.
WHERE: Lyon Utilities Building, 34 Lakes Blvd., Dayton
CALL: 463-6531