A pair of Columbus firms will oversee the $135 million construction of a new Franklin County jail. Franklin County Commissioners awarded a $9 million construction-management contract on Tuesday to a joint venture between Gilbane Building Company and Smoot Construction.

A pair of Columbus firms will oversee the $135 million construction of a new Franklin County jail.

Franklin County Commissioners awarded a $9 million construction-management contract on Tuesday to a joint venture between Gilbane Building Company and Smoot Construction.

�This team stood out from all the great proposals we got,� Commissioner Marilyn Brown said.

The new jail at 2551 Fisher Road between Hague and McKinley avenues will house about 2,800 inmates when it�s finished. The first phase will open in June 2019 with about 800 beds and will replace the Downtown jail at 370 S. Front St.

The county�s two jails -- one on Jackson Pike and one Downtown -- now can house about 2,300 inmates, including about 640 inmates Downtown.

Dates haven�t been set for construction and opening of later phases.

Building a new jail will allow the Franklin County sheriff�s office to change the way it manages inmates, said Chief Deputy Geoff Stobart, who oversees the jail.

The current jail puts deputies at posts that are separated from cells and inmates. Deputies have to make rounds to see what�s happening in cells.

The new jail, though, will embed deputies with the inmates so that they can supervise them at all times, Stobart said. Placing deputies with inmates should discourage fighting and vandalism.

�You�re a lot less likely to walk up and punch a guy in the mouth if I�m sitting there watching you,� he said. �If you screw up and act like a fool, we still have the old-style single cells.�

The first phase of the new jail will be about 345,000 square feet and will include special housing for inmates with mental health or behavior problems, a medical clinic and a 300-person orientation unit.

The joint venture will be in charge of planning, scheduling and managing the construction project.

�It puts together two firms with a strong local presence and a history of performing great work on large private and public works projects,� said Jim Goodenow, the county�s facilities director.

The county is paying for the project with a public safety fund established with a temporary 25-cent increase to the sales tax rather than taking on debt. That increase will raise about $150 million by the time it expires at the end of 2018.

�I would rather be building jobs, not jails,� Commissioner Paula Brooks said. �The fact that we�r e putting many people to work is a very good thing.�

rrouan@dispatch.com

@RickRouan