MOUNT VERNON — The Knox County Sheriff’s Office finally has an on-site storage facility.
“We’ve been trying to get this done for years,” said Sheriff David Barber.
The building cost under $50,000 to erect, with no plumbing or electrical service.
“We wanted to keep the price below $50,000,” Barber said, explaining that above that price the building project would have had to be put out for bid. Because it was below that amount, County Prosecutor John Thatcher ruled the county commissioners could declare it an emergency and proceed with the building. There were no unexpected expenses or cost overruns. The price was $49,900, and the building was erected by Cleary Building Corp.
Sunrise Construction also offered a price of $53,000 to put up the building and 64 Metals cited a price ranging from $57,683.83 to $63,569.51, depending on building features.
The law requires three estimates, but it doesn’t require all the estimates to be below $50,000, Assistant Prosecutor Chip McConville explained.
