Bid for demo of old Ogle County Jail OK’d

OREGON — Ogle County Board members have accepted a $98,300 bid to demolish the old jail in downtown Oregon.

“We had quite a few bidders interested in the project,” County Engineer Jeremy Ciesiel said. “We had eight bidders that actually submitted information on the project. It blew me away. I was very pleased with the turnout.”

The low bid came from Martin & Co., of Oregon, and was approved during the Ogle County Board’s Oct. 18 meeting. Ciesiel said he reviewed the submission and everything was in order.

The cost of demolition will be paid for using American Rescue Plan Act monies; that expenditure also was approved by board members on Oct. 18.

The seven other bids ranged from $121,200, made by Rezzar Demolition LLC, of Crystal Lake, to a high of $432,500, made by Dore & Associates Inc., of Bay City, Michigan. Only the high bid was from an out-of-state bidder.

The old jail is located at 107 South 5th St., in Oregon. It is attached to the south side of the Old Ogle County Courthouse, a building in which many county officials have offices. The new jail, located west of the Ogle County Judicial Center, opened November 2020.

Prior to Martin & Co. starting the project, contracts need to be put in place and everything organized, Ciesiel said. Additionally, they still are working to disconnect some of the utilities, he said.

“Our hope is that we can start on demolition sometime in November and get it completed before the end of the year,” Ciesiel said. “But first things first, and that’s getting all the paperwork and utilities disconnected.”