BOC could choose jail designer next month
A committee in charge of finding an architect for the new Guilford County jail has asked for more information from Moseley Architects of Virginia, one of two finalists for the job.
A committee member indicated that Richmond-based Moseley, with offices in Charlotte and Morrisville, had made a strong proposal. The other company in the running is HOK, a large firm based in St. Louis.
The county has been looking for a jail architect since last year. The new jail will likely be located behind the existing overcrowded facility along Sycamore Street in downtown Greensboro, though a nearby tract now occupied by the Otto Zenke building at Eugene and Washington streets has not been ruled out. The existing jail will be renovated and remain open.
Next, the committee, composed of county staff and commissioners, will recommend that either Moseley or HOK design the jail. The commissioners could approve the recommendation in May, and then the architect will get to work.
Cost estimates for the jail now being thrown around in county circles range from $50 million to $60 million, though that could change as the commissioners figure out how to come up with the money.