Graham Jaehnig/Daily Mining Gazette Houghton County residents have been hearing growing concern for the need of a new jail facility. The current jail, built in 1963, is dwarfed by adjacent Houghton County Courthouse.

HOUGHTON — The Houghton County Jail Committee will host Industry Day from 5 – 7 p.m. today at the Franklin Township Fire hall.

The purpose of Industry Day is to provide interested contractors as well as the public an opportunity to offer input to the committee and county board members on the need for a new county jail. The meeting will serve as an initiative to gather ROM (Rough Order of Magnitude) cost estimates from local construction and design/build firms, along with interested local contractors and architectural firms, to collaborate on a proposed county jail facility, which will accommodate from 60-70 inmates as well as a Sheriff’s office, and support offices.

Jail Committee Chair Faith Morrison said utilizing a design-build approach could be a potential strategy to reduce construction costs. She said the hope is to attract local developers and contractors to create a proposal that will address a cost-effective jail build for voters. Hopefully the proposal will include improved safety for staff, specialized areas for addressing mental health and addiction, and better facilities for medical staff.

Participating contractors and firms have been requested to review background material posted on the county website and to bring their expertise to discussions on how to build a new jail at a cost the public can support.

Board of Commissioners Chairman Tom Tikkanen said he is encouraged by the amount of interest expressed in the project by local firms.

“We’ve had contractors involved in this overall process, as far as meeting attendance” he said, “and we’ve had inquiries and direct responses from Moyle Development. We’ve had inquiries from Gundlach Champion, and we’ve had other contractors attending meetings. So, I think it’s a pretty well-rounded approach this far.”

With that in mind, he said, he is optimistic about a good turnout for the two-hour meeting.

Tikkanen also said the Industry Day meeting is not exclusive to local firms.

“This is open to all interested parties – contractors (and) developers,” he said.