It is more than a year off, but a trial has been set in Sioux City to address ongoing disputes on the construction problems with the Woodbury County jail that opened in September 2024.
On the heels of a failed mediation proceeding, the jury trial will be before U.S. District Court Judge Leonard Strand in May 2027.
The long road over four years to build the Woodbury County Law Enforcement Center jail was full of delays, driving up the cost from $54 million to $69 million.
County officials have said design and construction flaws by Hausmann Construction, Goldberg Group Architects, and Introba resulted in extra expenses of $3.5 million. The county also received $2.8 million in lessened jail revenues, because of the delayed opening of the jail on the northeast side of Sioux City.
The mediation was held in Des Moines in November, with the hopes of forestalling litigation. Ahead of that mediation, Woodbury County Board of Supervisors member Mark Nelson said the county would be clearly communicating a strong position on the damages by three entities responsible for what he called a “relatively ugly chapter.".
The Sioux City Journal reported that Hausmann claims it is still owed $5.7 million for work it completed. Hausmann officials say design errors by Goldberg and Introba delayed multiple aspects of the jail being completed.
