Builder picked for Passaic County jail site project
By: David M. Zimmer
NorthJersey.com
USA Today Network - New Jersey
..... Passaic County has chosen a builder for the government complex that will replace its former jail in downtown Paterson, awarding a $106.4 million contract to Dobco Incorporated of Wayne.
.....
The July 14 [2026] vote sets a construction price for the six-story office building and attached parking garage planned at 11 Marshall Street, where the county demolished the jail after closing it in 2021 and moving inmates to other counties.
..... county officials have described the project as a way to bring several government services now scatted across different locations into one bungling. The complex is expected to include social services, election offices, probation services and parts of the Sheriff's Office.
..... Plans also call for a Sheriff's Office Correction Division hub, where inmates could be process and county officers could coordinate with local police departments.
..... Dobco was the lowest responsible bidder among five companies that submitted proposals April 30, [2026] county records show.
.....
Two of the bids were rejected. collier engineering & design, the county's consulting engineer for the project, reviewed the submissions and recommended the award.
..... The contract gives Dobco another major public project in North Jersey. The company has built skyline Hall and University Hall at William Paterson University, the Peter P. Mercer Learning Commons at Ramapo college and the Passaic Gifted & Talented Academy.
.....
The New Jersey Schools Development Authority also awarded Dobco a $165.2 million contract in February [2026] to design and build Paterson's new STEAM high school.
..... The Marshall Street contract follows the commissioners' introduction of a June [2026] ordinance that would allow the Passaic County Improvement Authority to issue up to $150 million in lease revenue notes of bonds for the project.
..... County records say the borrowing could cover construction, furnishings, equipment, interest and costs tied to issuing the debt. The county would make lease payments to cover the borrowing.
..... The former jail once held about 700 inmates and had long been criticized for conditions inside the facility. After closing it, Passaic County began sending inmates to the Bergen County jail in Hackensack under a 10-year shared service agreement that took effect in 2022. It later added an overflow agreement with Hudson County.
..... Commissioners approved 47 million in 2024 to demolish the roughly 250,000-square-foot jail and prepare the propriety, which fronts Marshall, Grand and Main streets, for redevelopment.
..... Demolition began in October 2024, county officials previously said construction was expected to begin later this year. [2026]