Council sets $983,498 jail renovation amount
Sheriff Hatfield explained the one-bid process as funding moved forward in the 2026-27 budget
8:53 p.m. June 15, 2026
According to the bid, the project includes renovation of the existing kitchen and intake areas, roof and ceiling repairs, and modifications to existing program space for female housing.
DUANE CROSS
MCO Publisher•Editor
Moore County Metro Council moved nearly $1 million in jail renovation funding forward Monday night as part of the first reading of the county’s 2026-27 budget.
The budget passed first reading by a 13-2 vote during the June 15 meeting. The spending plan includes $983,498 for the jail renovation, one of the county’s larger capital items this budget cycle.
The amount includes $833,498 for the construction bid and $150,000 for appliances and related equipment.
During the public hearing before the formal council meeting, resident Joy Railey urged council members to support the work, tying the need for jail improvements to future growth in Moore County.
“People are wanting to put apartments in here; we have the tiny homes … the more we expand, the more we are going to need a top-notch jail,” Railey said.
“Along with all that expansion, crime is going to come,” she said. “We need to upgrade our jail.”
Food Service Renovation for METRO MOORE COUNTY JAIL
Lynchburg, TN
Sealed bids for the Food Service Renovation for the Metro Moore County Jail located at 58 Elm Street; Lynchburg, TN will be received by the Metro Moore County Jail at 58 Elm Street; Lynchburg, TN 37352 until 1:00 P.M. CDT on 24 March, 2026 and then at said time publicly opened and read aloud at the adjacent Annex at 462 Main Street.
Project consists of the following: Providing renovation of the existing Kitchen and Intake areas, roof and ceiling repairs, and modifications of existing program space for female housing. Work will include the alteration of sprinklers, HVAC, plumbing, and electrical within the existing areas.
Copies may be obtained at the office of OLIVER LITTLE GIPSON ENGINEERING, INC., upon the NON-REFUNDABLE payment of $250.00 for each printed set or may be obtained free electronically but bidders must contact the office of the Engineer to register to become a registered Plan Holder accordingly.
OLIVER LITTLE GIPSON ENGINEERING, INC.
301 Industrial Blvd.
Tullahoma, TN 37388
(931) 454-9940
The Owner reserves the right to waive any informality and to reject any or all bids. Employees of the selected contractor must have a background check performed prior to entering the facility for work. Background checks will be provided by the Jail.
A MANDATORY Pre-Bid meeting will be held at 9:00 A.M. CST, local time, on Friday March 13th, 2025 at 9:00 AM, at the project site on Elm Street in Lynchburg. The site will not be available any time beyond this date for access prior to bid. Prospective bidders should report to the main entry for check-in prior.
One bid received
District 4 council member Peggy Sue Blackburn raised questions about the bid process before the vote. She said $150,000 was too much for commercial appliances and that the county should seek more bids.
Sheriff Tyler Hatfield said the county worked with OLG Engineering, which drew the plans and handled the bid process, bid opening, and overall management. The bid period ran for at least two weeks, according to legal notices published on March 12 and March 19 in the Moore County News.
The project was also posted on multiple construction websites to solicit bids. A mandatory pre-bid inspection meeting was held on March 13 – one day after the first publication of the notice and six days before the second notice.
Two contractors attended that meeting, according to Hatfield, and Lee Adcock Construction was the only company to submit a bid.
That left the county with one bid to consider.
Hatfield also explained that under the county’s purchasing policy, projects expected to cost more than $25,000 must have architectural design and go through an open bid process.
“Open bid process, we have no control over,” he said. “That is us publishing it and asking companies to place a bid. We don’t go and shop for bids at that point. Whatever bids we receive is what we receive.”
12- and 15-year repayment options
The discussion also touched briefly on the nature of the work. “There’s a lot of steps that go through that,” District 5 council member Greg Guinn said.
“People have to have background checks to be able to work on this project. That takes time.”
After the bid process was explained, council members turned back to the exact funding amount.
Council members briefly discussed rounding the figure to $985,000, but the amount remained $983,498.
“I just want to make sure that we’re agreeing on that number,” Mayor Sloan Stewart said.
Stewart said he would run financing numbers on 12- and 15-year options before the county settles on the final repayment structure.
The jail renovation funding still sits inside the broader county budget process. Monday’s 13-2 vote moved the 2026-27 budget through first reading and gave the jail project a firm number to carry into the next step.
Arvis Bobo, Gerald Burnett, Douglas Carson, Amy Cashion, Marty Cashion, Bradley Dye, Dexter Golden, Greg Guinn, Jimmy Hammond, Houston Lindsey, Sunny Rae Moorehead, John Taylor, and Shane Taylor voted yes.
Robert Bracewell and Blackburn voted no. Blackburn said she would not vote yes because there was no second bid to review the jail renovations.
The second reading of the budget is scheduled for Monday, June 29, with a public hearing at 6:20 p.m. followed by the special-called meeting at 6:30 p.m. at the American Legion Building.