Findorff wins $53.2M contract to build Madison juvenile center

Meanwhile, state officials on Thursday awarded Findorff a $53.2 million contract for the construction of a new Madison juvenile treatment center, a project that’s part of a plan to close the Lincoln Hills facility in northern Wisconsin.

Findorff beat out a $55.5 million offer from Miron Construction to build the Mendota Juvenile Treatment Center. The State Department of Administration awarded Findorff the contract after bidding out the project in November.

The $66 million job calls for the construction of six units to house 93 additional residents at the Mendota center. The treatment center could ultimately become one of four centers throughout the state used as replacements of Lincoln Hills, which lawmakers called for closing in 2018 following various scandals there. Lincoln Hills, however, remains open and none of the regional centers has yet been built.

The State Building Commission approved the project last spring. Construction is expected to wrap up in 2024.

The DOA awarded mechanical, electrical and plumbing contracts for the project in October. The Madison-based contractor 1901 will perform plumbing and HVAC work at the Mendota Juvenile Treatment Center under a $7.5 million contract. Nickles Electric, also of Madison, will do $9.9 million in electrical work, and Rockford, Illinois-based Automatic Fire Systems will do $611,000 worth of fire-suppression work. Follow @natebeck9