Hundreds of local contractors jammed a Tuesday afternoon meeting at Hampton Inn on Douglas Boulevard, trying to get a slice of the $120 million county jail project pie.

The 4 p.m. meeting was an information session held by Turner/New South Construction, head contractors for the Douglas County law enforcement center, which has been termed “the largest law enforcement project in the United States.” The session included information on how local companies can pre-qualify to do subcontracting work on the jail.

The Douglas County Board of Commissioners (BOC) only five hours earlier awarded Turner/New South with the $8.36 million contract to be construction manager at risk.

Construction of the 1,500-bed jail and law enforcement center is scheduled to start in November and be completed in December 2012. It is being built on a 40-acre site near the county courthouse and next to the new E-911 emergency control center, presently under construction.

Bonds to build the jail will be backed by proceeds from a 1-cent special purpose local option sales tax (SPLOST), approved by voters last November and becoming effective April 1.

The BOC earlier this year approved HOK Atlanta as the architects for the jail for a $4.725 million contract. In a recent interview in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, John Eisenlau, HOK’s Senior Vice President, called the Douglas County jail a “green” project, seeking a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification for the structure. He said it will be built to reduce energy costs and conserve natural resources.