Wanna design a jail?
That's what Guilford County is asking architecture firms as it prepares to build a 600-bed jail in downtown Greensboro.
This week, the county sent out requests for qualifications to about 30 firms - mostly in the Southeast - with experience that might qualify them to design the facility.
RFQs, as they're called, are akin to job advertisements. Responses to RFQs are like resumes; they'll basically show the county what kind of experience the applicant has to complete the task.
For non-architects, the first page of the RFQ gives a quick overview of what kind of jail the county is looking for. The jail will almost certainly stand along Sycamore Street between Blandwood Avenue and Edgeworth Street - right behind the existing facility.
The county wants responses by Jan. 27.
At some point thereafter, the county commissioners will select a firm and get a price tag. Then they'll have to decide how to pay for the project. A bond referendum, a short-term sales-tax increase, and a borrowing plan that won't require voter approval have all been discussed.
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