Two firms vie for the right to study the Downtown jail

County Commissioners Court will select either MNK Architects or Wiginton Hooker Jeffry to perform the study that will help determine whether the Downtown jail needs to be replaced or repaired.

MNK Architects is an El Paso company. Wiginton Hooker Jeffry's main office is in Plano, Texas. Both companies have formed teams for the study that include other local and out-of-town companies.

MNK Architects has associated with GSBS Architects, a firm with offices in Salt Lake City and Fort Worth, to compete for the project.

According to a presentation, MNK and GSBS together have worked on more than 115 jail projects. Their team includes companies such as Latta Tech, which specializes in security consulting, and AB&P Engineering from El Paso. MNK representatives said they are familiar with the Downtown jail and the city's building code.

Jim Wiginton, president of Wiginton Hooker Jeffry, said his company has built 40 jails more than 30 in Texas and five in New Mexico. The company has a long relationship with ASA Architects, which has had an office in El Paso for about 20 years. Together they built the Doa Ana County Jail. Another local company associated with this team is Walter P. Moore engineers, Wiginton said.

MNK Architects and Wiginton Hooker Jeffry were considered after the county's purchasing department issued the request for qualifications to 151 engineering firms throughout the country and received five consultant proposals back.

MNK Architects and Wiginton Hooker Jeffry were the top finalists as their proposals were rated as equal by the county's evaluation committee. The evaluation committee included members of the El Paso County Sheriff's Office, the public works department, the auditor's office and the purchasing department.

Commissioners Court is expected to make a decision in two weeks.

The purpose of the feasibility study is to determine "the best overall operating cost savings" for the Downtown jail over the next 15 years, said Kennie Downing, county's purchasing agent.

"We are looking for a long term cost savings goal," she said.

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Two firms vie for the right to study the Downtown jail