‘Face of Justice’ Set For Review
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowIndianapolis City-County Council President Maggie Lewis says members will be “thorough, thoughtful and transparent” throughout the review process for the planned $400 million Marion County Justice Center. The city has chosen WMB Heartland Justice Partners as the preferred bidder to build, manage and operate the center. Indianapolis Mayor's Office Communications Director Marc Lotter says the selected bid came in lower than the city anticipated, and the yearly cost would be more than $3 million less than the city is paying now.
December 12, 2014
Statement from Indianapolis City-County Council President Maggie A. Lewis Regarding Selection of Bidder for Criminal Justice Complex
“Today, the Mayor and his team announced they have completed the process of selecting a potential partner for the Criminal Justice Center development project. This is an important initial milestone. The City-County Council will work alongside the Marion County Superior Court, the Marion County Sheriff, and other sanctioning agencies during the review process for this project. The Council's final review will then focus on protecting the interests of the people of Indianapolis over the next 35 years. Specifically, we will assess the proposed project's fiscal viability, allocation of risks, and overall value to the County based on our current and future needs. I will commit to the residents of Indianapolis that the Council will be thorough, thoughtful, and transparent throughout this process.”
Source: Office of Indianapolis City-County Council President Maggie Lewis
December 12, 2014
News Release
Indianapolis, Ind. — Mayor Greg Ballard, Marion County Sheriff John Layton, and other community stakeholders today announced the preferred vendor to finance, design, build, operate and maintain the new Marion County Justice Complex to be located on part of the old General Motors Stamping Plant.
“After decades of study, Marion County is finally ready to take a big step toward improving public safety through building a modern, efficient justice complex,” said Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard. “This new facility will save taxpayers money, improve neighborhood development, and ensure we have the necessary space to safely house violent arrestees. It further allows us to administer the programs and services to help lower level criminals successfully transition to becoming productive members of society.”
The City/County received three compliant bids from the pre-qualified development teams. After thorough review by a bipartisan team which included representatives from the City, Sheriff’s Office, Courts, City-County Council, Prosecutor, Public Defender, Community Corrections, Indianapolis Bar Association and other technical advisors, the proposal by WMB Heartland Justice Partners will be forwarded to the City-County Council for review and approval.
“WMB is excited to partner with Indianapolis and Marion County on this cutting edge project. At a time when many communities are struggling with public safety infrastructure, Indianapolis has taken an innovative step to address 21st century public safety concerns by undertaking to build this unified criminal justice campus. WMB would like to thank the Mayor and the many key stakeholders for the open and transparent process of selection and their confidence in our team and we look forward to this community partnership over decades to come,” said Joe Aiello, a partner at Meridiam.
The proposal by WMB Heartland Justice Partners required the lowest annual payment from the City/County while also meeting the rigorous technical specifications established for the project. The new justice complex will feature 37 criminal court/hearing rooms, offices for the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, a 3,000 bed detention facility with on-site medical and mental health units, a 960 bed community corrections facility, and surface parking facilities.
“Marion County needs a new jail. I am grateful for the partnership of all the stakeholders to help move this important project forward,” said Marion County Sheriff John Layton. “It will benefit Marion County residents for generations to come.”
The WMB Heartland Justice Partners proposal provides for a $46.8 million payment in 2019, the first full year of operation. This annual payment includes capital costs, financing, maintenance and operation of the facility and is $3.3 million lower than what the City/County currently spends for justice facilities, estimated at approximately $50.0 million per year. The payment is performance based meaning that WMB Heartland Justice Partners is measured on a monthly basis against pre-determined service performance and availability standards – if standards are not achieved deductions are applied to the payment the City makes to WMB. The estimated cost of construction of the justice center is $408 million, considerably lower than previously speculated construction costs ranging from $500 – $700 million.
“Our judges feel excited by the prospect of a safe, efficient facility to protect and serve our community for many years to come,” said Marion Superior Court Presiding Judge David Certo. “We look forward to contributing to the critical discussions that will transform this project from proposal to completion.”
Marion County expects to fund the project over the 35 year term of the contract from the reallocation of budget dollars from expiring contracts and leases, including savings of $19 million per year from closing Jail II, as well as from reduced operational costs and future revenue sources such as federal arrestee contracts. The new center will significantly reduce the Sheriff’s costs for transporting arrestees among multiple detention and court buildings and save taxpayers’ dollars through the use of centralized security, food preparation, medical, laundry, maintenance and other shared services. The new facility will not require an increase in taxes.
WMB Heartland Justice Partners will privately finance construction, operation and maintenance of the facility. Taxpayers in the City of Indianapolis and Marion County will not be responsible for the debt. The City will now begin final negotiations with WMB Heartland Justice Partners on a final project agreement. Once that agreement has been finalized, proposals from the two non-selected vendors will be released. The final project agreement and non-winning bidder information will be made public prior to the vote by the City-County Council. If approved by the City-County Council, construction could begin in June 2015 and open in 2018.
Additional information about the justice center, including renderings and site plans, the proposal by WMB Heartland Justice Partners and city’s RFRP can be found here.
ABOUT WMB HEARTLAND JUSTICE PARTNERS
WMB Heartland Justice Partners is a partnership comprised of Meridiam, Walsh Investors, and Balfour Beatty Investments formed to design, build, finance and maintain the Marion County Justice Complex. The team features a design/build contractor joint venture between the Walsh Construction Company and Heery International, Inc. Walsh and Heery will be supported by Dewberry Architects, Skidmore, Owings, & Merrill, L.L.P, Parsons Brinckerhoff, and four local firms: The Hagerman Group, Cripe Architects + Engineers, SchenkelShultz Architecture and KERAMIDA. The operations and maintenance of the facility will be provided by Cofely Services, Inc. and its subcontractor ABM Industries, Inc.
Source: City of Indianapolis