WINONA, Minn. – The County Board decided to scrap the two original bids to manufacture cells for the new county jail and start afresh. Originally the county rejected the lower bid, to which the lower-bidding company objected as unfair and against the law. The company threatened to sue. About scrapping both original bids and starting over, the county administrator, Ken Kritz, said a “clean start” was better than litigation that could slow construction of the jail and delay the December 2023 projected completion. Both original bidders would be eligible to bid again, he said.
A sample cell. These days the cells are built off-site and transported for installation.