Construction will begin next week for the Kleberg County Jail expansion, which will include 38 beds that will be used primarily for female inmates.

A general contract bid was finalized and awarded to Don Krueger Construction of Victoria at a special meeting of the Kleberg County Commissioner’s Court held Monday.

The Kleberg County jail currently has a section containing ten spaces for female prisoners, which is segregated by sight and sound from the portion of the jail housing the male population.

When there is not enough space for female prisoners, they are transferred to other county jail facilities in the area that costs Kleberg County $45 per inmate.

“If they follow my plan to use those beds for women that we send out to other counties to house, we can keep them and save money,” Kleberg County Judge Pete De La Garza said.

Krueger Construction submitted the winning bid for $1,640,800, which will also include additional parking at the site.

The total is right under the $2 million that was allocated for this project from certificates of obligation, which were sold by the county last year.

The timetable for completion was proposed to be 330 days, however, Krueger Construction has since reevaluated their schedule and will now complete the project in 290 days.

The Kleberg County Jail is currently a 124-bed facility with a jail staff of 31 detention officers.

“Female guards will be in the woman’s wing of the jail,” Kleberg County Sheriff Ed Mata said. “The new facility will also have a laundry and recreation room and will be up to modern standards.”

Mata said he is very pleased with the work that will begin soon and saving taxpayer’s money.

“The new jail expansion will save the taxpayers money because our inmates will remain in our facility,” Mata said. “I am very pleased with the contract.”

The jail is one of three major construction projects for Kleberg County, which include renovations on the Exxon Building and the construction of a new building for the Kleberg County Human Services Department.

Work has already begun on the renovation of the Exxon building with the asbestos abatement in progress.

Construction for the new Human Services building will begin in a couple of weeks.

“We are so excited to get these projects started,” De La Garza said. “The sooner we can complete them the better.”