Posted: 4/18/06
Jail plannerís contract extended
Petition could force referendum
By David Heiller
Argus News Editor
Houston County commissioners extended criminal justice center (CJC) planner Dave Pracharís contract for two years at a special meeting on April 12.
Prachar, who is from Duluth, will be paid the same as his previous contract amount, which is $2,500 a month. That one-year contract expires in June.
The county has the right to terminate the contract with a 30-day notice.
Prachar recommended a two year contract given the timelines of the proposed CJC project. He estimated that it will take 6-9 months to get to construction, and 12-15 months to build the structure.
Commissioner Ann Thompson asked what the board would get from Prachar. He answered that he would ìbird-dogî the architect. ìAre they performing for you?î he asked. He will also work with jail personnel, the sheriffís department and the criminal justice staff to make sure the schematic plans are cost effective.
Getting bid documents correct is vital. ìThe goal is no change orders, thatís the goal,î he said.
The transition process from the old facility to the new one can be lengthy, Prachar added. Training staff to work in the new facility can take 3-5 weeks, while keeping the old jail running.
Tim Thompson a senior detention facility inspector with the Minnesota Department of Corrections, agreed with Prachar on that. He said learning electronic security is a big challenge.
Getting staff trained and policies and procedures in place and working are all very important, Prachar said.
Commissioner Ann Thompson asked Tim Thompson what the state could offer in the process. He answered that there are things that have to be met within the design, such as certain space requirements. He said he has a knowledge of what has worked in other counties.
Corcoran said he had received comments about the recreation areas in the proposed CJC. Thompson said that recreation space is based on capacity. If Houston County had a capacity for 44 inmates, it could go to a smaller recreation space, he said. But he felt that wasnít practical because its inmate population is at 33-35 now. ìWe know at some point itís going to expand,î Thompson said.
The CJC plan is to have 42 beds expandable to 80.
Thompson also noted that the jail would go from a 90 day lock up facility to a year long lock up facility. He complimented the board and the people of the county for their work on the project.
Site, architect, and more
The board also discussed the proposed site, architects, the process, and public informational meetings.
Here is a summary of those pointsat the 90-minute meeting.
ï Site: The board has a preference for Option B, which is south and east of the current courthouse, board chairman Kevin Kelleher said. The county has acquired all the private property, something that would be difficult to do with the two other options, he said.
The ability to connect into the current courthouse would address concerns of citizens who think the proposed structure is too big, he said.
ï Architect: The board agreed by consensus to seek bids on the project from architectural firm Klein McCarthy and Associates of Minneapolis. That firm has done all the preliminary work so far. Kelleher said the bid would have to be competitive.
He and commissioner Dave Corcoran also lobbied for bringing a construction manager on board at the same time. Kelleher said that would keep the architect in check. ìThatís the person thatís our eyes and ears in terms of construction,î he said.
Prachar said he would get a proposal from Klein McCarthy and would contact construction management companies. Several have already made presentations to the county board.
Architectural fees are more clear cut, while construction management fees are convoluted, Prachar said.
ï Meetings: Seven CJC open houses will take place, all starting at 7 p.m.
ï April 18: La Crescent Community Center;
ï April 20: Brownsville Community Center;
ï April 25: Houston Community Center;
April 27: Eitzen Community Center;
May 2: Caledonia Middle/High School;
May 4: Hokah Fire Hall;
May 9: Spring Grove Fest Building.
Petition underway
The board was asked at the end of the meeting about a petition that is circulating that requests a vote on the issuance of bonds for the project.
Kelleher said the county attorney is reviewing the statute. The petition wonít change the process that the board has to go through with the project. He said it would impact the portion that the county needs to bond for.
The preliminary cost estimate for the CJC is $15.9 million based on a building with 70,000 square feet.
Bob Klug of Caledonia told The Argus on April 12 that the petition was his idea. He said a legal analyst tole him that by getting signatures totalling five percent of the votes cast in the last general election, would force a referendum.
In 2004 there were 11,173 votes cast, and the petition had 840 signatures as of April 12, which would be about 300 more than required to force a referendum.
Klug said he has 30 days from the time the board votes on accepting the bonds to file the petition.
ìI feel the taxpayers of Houston County should have a say in how their money is spent on a project of this size,î Klug said in explaining his petition drive. ìItís a big project.î
He added, ìItís not me against the county. Thereís a very large group thatís opposed to this project.î
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