Posted: 12/27/05
Commissioners review new jail/court plan
No decisions on fate of current jail
By David Heiller
Argus News Editor
Efficiency and security.
Those were the two words that kept emerging at a 90 minute discussion on a proposed criminal justice center (CJC) on December 20.
Architect Rich McCarthy went over two possible plans for the new building with county commissioners and about 10 of the CJC committee members.
They hashed over the pros and cons of two drawings that McCarthy handed out.
Almost everybody seemed to agree with a plan that would put the new building to the south and east of the current courthouse. The new and old buildings would be connected.
The other plan had the building placed east of the current courthouse and wrapped around the current jail in an L shape to the north. It would cut into the Veteranís Memorial, which McCarthy said would probably have to be moved.
Commissioner Kevin Kelleher said he didnít like the plan because it did not utilize the existing courtroom and surrounding space. He liked the other plan because he thought the current courtroom or court related offices could still be used, thus addressing some space needs.
Other people at the meeting agreed with Kelleher that the second plan was better, it left more green space and doesnít crowd the present courthouse.
But no one agreed with Kelleher that the courtroom or court-related offices should be spread between the old and new building. Several people argued that it would be more efficient and safer to have it all in one area. The court administration and courtroom have to be physically connected and have a public entrance, McCarthy said.
Corcoran said the ìcourt dealî should be done the right way. ìThe whole idea is to make that court safer for the general public,î he said.
Court administrator Darlene Kuhlers said the courts had given up a lot of space in recent years to accommodate the needs in the courthouse. She said two courtrooms would be needed, especially with the likelihood of using magistrates more for misdemeanor and gross misdemeanor cases.
County attorney Rick Jackson agreed with Kuhlers, and added that there there might not be a ìspace windfallî with the new building because there is so much overcrowding now. The court has trouble dealing with space separation issues now such as keeping criminals and victims away from each other, Jackson said. The county isnít always things the way they are supposed to be done because of lack of space, he added.
That led to the question of just how much space is needed for the other non-court related departments in the county. That topic will be explored at the next meeting, with CJC planner Dave Prachar in charge of gathering information. No date for that meeting was set last week.
Old jailís fate on hold
There was also a lot of discussion on what should become of the current jail building.
McCarthy estimated that about 65 percent, or 5,000 square feet, of the building would be usable. ìThe rest is just stairs and thick walls and not assignable space,î he said. It could accommodate about 35 people, he said.
The front (west) part of the building would not take a lot of work, but the back part where the jail is would have to be gutted, McCarthy said. An engineering firm that inspected the building recently stated in a report that converting the building would include demolition of the entire interior wood plank and steel plate first floor structure, as well as the steel plate and cell bar bearing wall second floor structure. The building is in good shape structurally, the report stated, a point that McCarthy repeated last week.
McCarthy said remodeling the back of the building could cost $300 per square foot. That compares to about $150-$160 per square foot for office space in a new building.
ìIf you do the math, weíre talking about a million dollar-plus deal over there if you really want to use that building,î McCarthy said.
Commissioner Tom Bjerke questioned that price tag, and said he wanted to keep the option of saving the jail open. The building was built in 1875 and is on the National Register of Historic Places.
McCarthy said the right answer would be to leave the building, but the the cheapest would be to take it down. He figured that could be done for $25,000. ìPolitically itís probably the wrong thing to be talking about,î he added.
Commissioner Dave Corcoran said the county can get the new CJC built first and then worry about the old jail.
Earl Welch, a CJC committee member agreed that the board should take its time with any decision on the old jail. ìAnd time sometimes helps,î he said.
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