The Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Paroles and J.F. Ingram State Technical College have officially opened the bidding process for the construction of a new workforce training facility at the Perry County PREP Center in Uniontown. The project aims to enhance vocational training opportunities for parolees and probationers as part of the state’s broader effort to reduce recidivism and provide job skills to those transitioning back into society.
The PREP Center, which opened in 2022 at the site of the former private prison in Uniontown, has already demonstrated success in its mission. Offering substance abuse and mental health treatment alongside educational programs operated by Ingram State, the center has graduated 232 men, all of whom have gained employment and stable housing upon completion. None have returned to prison, according to the Bureau’s data. The addition of this new facility will expand the center’s ability to offer workforce training, particularly in heavy equipment operation.
The Perry County Workforce Training Facility will feature a pre-engineered metal building, including two classrooms and a concrete pad for forklift training. It will also support instruction on heavy equipment such as skid steers, backhoes, and dozers. Designed to provide protection from the elements while maintaining a focus on outdoor training, the facility will cover approximately 20,000 square feet. Construction is expected to begin in spring 2025 and be completed by March 2026.
Prequalification proposals from contractors must be submitted to Goodwyn Mills Cawood, LLC by 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 31, 2025. Once prequalified, contractors will have until 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 13, 2025, to submit sealed bids to J.F. Ingram State Technical College’s main office in Deatsville.
The work will include site preparation, installation of mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems, and overall coordination of the project. A mandatory pre-bid conference is scheduled for January 30, 2025, at the Perry County Correctional Center, located on Highway 80 in Uniontown.
According to Mark Salmon, Alabama Community College System’s chief facilities officer, this new facility will bolster existing programs at the PREP Center. “We’re standing up a building to accommodate training for heavy equipment and other workforce skills,” Salmon said during a recent ACCS board meeting. “This is a very robust center for a lot of the workforce skills being offered by Ingram.”
The PREP Center itself, located at a renovated private prison site, currently houses about 80 men at a time for 90-day programs. In addition to its work with parolees, the center has temporarily housed Dallas County inmates since their jail was damaged in the January 2023 tornado. The Dallas County inmates are housed separately from the PREP Center’s enrollees.
The Perry County Workforce Training Facility is part of a larger vision to improve employment prospects for formerly incarcerated individuals. The initiative is funded through local allocations and emphasizes a partnership between the Bureau of Pardons and Paroles and Ingram State.
For more details on prequalification requirements and bid submissions, contractors can contact Goodwyn Mills Cawood, LLC.
