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Nabholz Construction and Je Dunn have been used to build a proposed prison of $ 825 million, 3,000 beds in Franklin County, Arkansas, which would be one of the largest public investments in recent state history.
The Arkansas Correction Board voted to approve the contracting team formed by Conway, based in Arkansas, Nabholz and Kansas City, Je Dunn, based in Missouri.
The aim of the project is to do Directing —s According to the project website. Would accommodate minimum safety inmates. Arkansas governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced the purchase of 815 hectares in the Vesta community, on the outskirts of Charleston, to host prison in October 2024.
However, the state has not yet reached funding for the project and Bill to appropriate — of up to $ 750 million For the prison he failed several times in the Senate of the State of Arkansas earlier this year, according to 40/29 News. Many Franklin County residents have again pushed plans, citing insufficient infrastructure, challenging topography, lack of workers and fear of reducing the values of property in the area.
Opponents have questioned the prices estimate of $ 825 million from the Correction Board. In March, a modification to a bill for failed appropriations would have established a restricted reserve fund Assigning a billion dollars for the project5 News Online reported, while Gravel & Grit, a profit created to oppose the project, has the total cost of $ 1.5 billion, not including infrastructure updates.
However, the correction board uses $ 75 million that had been before appropriate for prisons construction To advance the process, Arkansas’ lawyer reported on May 15.
In October 2024, the Correction Board also approved a $ 16.5 million contract with Sacramento’s Vanir Construction, California to monitor the project, and chose Omaha, Nebraska, based at HDR and Cromwell Architects Engineers by Little Rock, Arkansas, for design in April.
At the moment, the State carries out more environmental studies at the prison site, according to the project’s website. A The study of cultural resources is also likely To look for cultural and historical artifacts after members of the Chickamauga nation recently warned that the ancestors could be buried there, Axios reported last week.
