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Wayne
County
Executive
gives
recommendation
on Rock
Venture’s
proposal
to build
justice
center
Calls
for
stipend
approval
for
Walsh
Construction
to
complete
Gratiot
proposal
DETROIT
- Today,
Wayne
County
Executive
Warren
C. Evans
announced
the
completion
of his
initial
review
of Rock
Venture’s
proposal
to build
a
criminal
justice
center
releasing
his
recommended
steps to
vet the
offer.
The
Administration
also
called
for a
stipend
for
Walsh
Construction
to cover
the
costs to
prepare
its
proposal
to
complete
the
unfinished
jail at
Gratiot.
“The
Rock
Ventures
offer
presents
the
County
an
option
that
warrants
much
deeper
analysis
before
determining
whether
it’s the
best
course
of
action
to
finally
address
our jail
issue,”
Evans
said. “I
appreciate
that Dan
Gilbert
and the
Rock
team
submitted
it
before
our
deadline.
I am
instructing
my team
to take
the same
thoughtful,
and
deliberate
approach
in
vetting
the
offer as
we did
with the
County’s
fiscal
crisis.”
The
Administration
formally
provided
the
County
Commission
with the
following
recommendations:
1)
Approve
a
stipend
agreement
of up to
$500,000
with
Walsh
Construction
to
prepare
a
proposal
in
response
to the
RFP,
which
was
issued
on Feb.
10.
2)
Modify
the
contract
with
Carter
Goble
Associates
LLC (“CGL”)
to allow
for
analysis
of Rock
Ventures
proposed
jail
site.
3)
Approve
a
contract
with CGL
to
assist
in
vetting
the Rock
proposal
from an
operations
and
detention
facility
approach.
4)
Approve
a
contract
with the
National
Center
for
State
Courts
to
assist
in
vetting
and
analyzing
the
court
and
office
programming
of
Rock’s
proposal.
5)
Approve
a legal
services
contract
with
Zausmer,
August
and
Caldwell
to
assist
in legal
issues
related
to the
Rock
proposal.
“We
can’t
expect
Walsh to
expend
substantial
time and
resources
to
complete
a
proposal
for
finishing
construction
of the
Gratiot
jail
while
the
County
vets
Rock
Venture’s
alternative
offer
without
offering
some
reassurance
that
their
time and
commitment
will be
adequately
compensated.
And
quite
frankly,
today,
we’re
closer
to
building
on
Gratiot
than we
are at
Rock’s
proposed
site,”
Evans
said.
The
stipend
payment,
if
approved,
will
only be
paid if
the
Walsh
proposal
is not
accepted
by the
County.
“I know
our
commissioners
share my
concern
about
protecting
Wayne
County
taxpayers
and
getting
the best
possible
solution
for our
residents.
I look
forward
to their
input
and
analysis
throughout
this
process,”
Evans
added.
In
addition
to
releasing
his
recommendations,
Executive
Evans
highlighted
the
three
top
issues
that
need to
be
addressed
in
vetting
Rock
Ventures’
proposal.
1)
Whether
what
Rock is
proposing
to build
on the
proposed
site,
for an
estimated
$420
million,
are
adequate
facilities
to meet
the
County’s
criminal
justice
needs?
2)
Whether
it is
appropriate
to pay
Rock for
any
operational
efficiencies
resulting
from the
use of
these
new
buildings,
and if
so, the
details
of how
they
would be
calculated,
when
they
would be
paid and
the
duration
of such
payments?
3)
Resolving
the
uncertainty
of tax
issues
relating
to the
use of
the jail
bond and
any jail
bond
proceeds
to build
the jail
on an
alternative
site.
“We must
know
that the
$420
million
proposed
site
will
fully
meet the
County’s
criminal
justice
needs
and
there’s
a lot of
work
left to
figure
that
out,”
Evans
said.
“We also
need to
do our
due
diligence
on the
bond and
credit
issues
to make
sure any
action
we take
is in
the
County’s
financial
interests.”
As a
result
of the
RFP
process,
the
County
expects
to have
a
proposal
from
Walsh in
May. On
Monday,
Feb. 6,
the
County
received
an offer
from
Rock
Ventures
proposing
a
criminal
justice
complex
at an
alternative
site at
East
Forest
Ave. The
Wayne
County
Commission
and
Wayne
County
Building
Authority
would
need to
approve
any
contract
with
either
Walsh
Construction
or Rock
Ventures.
“I agree
with Dan
Gilbert
that
this is
a
50-year
decision,
but it’s
important
to
remember
that
we’re
nearly a
decade
into a
debacle
we
inherited
that
will
continue
to cost
Wayne
County
taxpayers
for
decades.
Getting
this
right
for them
trumps
any
other
concern
I have,”
Evans
said.
“Our
residents
have
been
staring
at a
demoralizing
Gratiot
site
with
$151
million
of their
money
buried
in the
ground
that
continues
to hold
back
this
County
from
truly
surging
forward.”
In
September,
working
with its
Owner’s
Representative,
CGL, the
County
issued
an RFQu
to
complete
the
unfinished
jail at
Gratiot,
drawing
a lone
response
from
Walsh
Construction.
After
reviewing
their
response,
the
County
qualified
Walsh in
late
December
for the
project.
In
November,
Mannik &
Smith
Group
completed
a visual
and
physical
inspection
of the
structural
steel,
concrete
and
masonry
onsite.
The
report
of the
site
condition
assessment
confirmed
that the
prior
construction
at the
site is
structurally
sound
and
suitable
for
restarting
construction
in 2017.
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