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The Legislature’s Public Safety Committee today indicated its support for a proposed capital project to modify the County Public Safety Building to increase jail capacity—a project that could be expected to decrease the County’s inmate board-out costs.

The recommended project, first presented to the Capital Plan Review Committee, would construct a secure covered outdoor year-round recreation area at the jail, then would renovate a little-used existing interior recreation space as dormitory housing to provide seven additional jail beds.  A later optional phase of the project could add seven more beds by converting the existing library into dormitory space.  That phase, however, could not be undertaken unless the Sheriff’s Road Patrol and Civil Division were relocated, something not immediately contemplated.  The $900,000 preliminary cost estimate would include construction of the outdoor rec. area and the initial seven-bed dormitory space, and design of all three phases—simultaneous design of the immediate and potential future renovation plans seen as the most cost-effective way to approach the design process.

It is recommended that the Legislature add the project to the County’s five-year capital program, and that the County contract with LaBella Associates for architectural and engineering services.  LaBella  prepared the preliminary concept designs and cost estimates at the request of the Capital Plan Review Committee

With a maximum jail capacity of 75 inmates, and a temporary variance that allows a maximum of 95 inmates, the County, over the past five years, has had to board-out to other counties’ jails an average of just over 6 inmates per day, a rate that rose to more than 8 per day over the past year.

At a current cost of $80 per inmate per day, the County in 2012 spent $244,000 to board inmates at other jails, not including the associated transport cost.  County Administrator Joe Mareane told the committee he believes that a strong business case exists for the renovation project.  Sheriff Ken Lansing has cautioned that the State Commission of Correction is now looking for counties with variances to demonstrate progress toward increasing their jail capacity, as he believes this project would do.

The proposal will next be considered by the Legislature’s budget and capital committee before advancing to the full Legislature.

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