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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Martin Hall Costs Soaring Price Has Doubled On Plan For Juvenile Detention Center At Medical Lake

Nine Eastern Washington counties are moving ahead with plans to build a juvenile detention center at Medical Lake, even though the price has doubled.

And because Spokane County has the best bond rating, officials from the other counties want it to do the borrowing for the project.

Architects estimate it will cost about $5.5 million to convert Martin Hall into a 56-bed regional detention center. Estimates in January were $2.5 million to $3 million.

Unexpected costs include upgrading the wiring and plumbing in the former men’s dorm at Eastern State Hospital, said Spokane County Commissioner Phil Harris, a project supporter.

“It all adds up pretty fast,” he said.

Plans call for Spokane County to sell bonds worth $6 million, said Harris. The additional $500,000 would go into an interest-bearing account to help pay any unexpected operating costs.

Harris said Spokane County would be at no greater risk than any other county in the partnership. All would pledge tax revenue to back up the bonds, to be repaid over 20 years.

Despite the ballooning costs, there’s no backing out of Martin Hall, which is scheduled to open next year, Spokane County officials say.

Harris and Commissioner Steve Hasson committed the county to joining the consortium in February. Commissioner John Roskelley voted no, saying he wanted more information about the cost, which had already risen to $3.3 million.

The county will get five beds in the center for its roughly $1 million share of the construction cost. It also will pay a share of the operating cost, whether it fills those beds or not.

Tom Davis, director of Spokane County Juvenile Court Services, told commissioners before they committed to Martin Hall that he could add 24 beds to the existing Spokane detention center for about $1.2 million.

Harris said that while he’s bothered by Martin Hall’s rising costs “it’s still a better buy” than expanding the existing center.

Harris contends the county will save more than $40 a day for every young criminal it sends to Medical Lake. That’s based on figures provided by Spokane architect Robert Glass, who was hired to transform the ward into a detention center.

Davis said his operating cost per bed would fall if more beds are added. There would be no need to add more administrators, for instance.

Other skeptics say the cosortium’s estimated operating costs are unrealistic.

“They’re trying to run it with a skeletal staff,” said one official, who asked not to be identified because commissioners in his rural county support the project.

Indeed, the consortium plans on spending a third less on salaries at the 52-bed facility than Davis does now for his 65-bed lockup.

While other juvenile facilities are operated by the courts, the Legislature last year cleared the way for commissioners in Eastern Washington counties to renovate and operate Martin Hall.

Spokane County Superior Court Judge Robert Austin called the project “a pig in a poke,” back when it was supposed to cost $3 million.

Austin was more conciliatory Thursday, saying judges don’t want to sound as if they oppose Martin Hall as a good solution for counties that can’t house their own juvenile inmates.

“We’re just saying that it’s not the best solution for Spokane County,” he said.

It’s not a good choice for Douglas County either, said Carol Wardell, a Superior Court judge there.

Douglas County commissioners joined the Martin Hall consortium rather than join Chelan County in building a juvenile facility.

Wardell said the decision made little sense even before the cost of Martin Hall skyrocketed. It’s a three-hour drive from her courtroom to Medical Lake.

“When we have (juvenile offenders) here, we can work on family counseling and reconciliation so that when the kid gets out, hopefully it’s to a better situation,” she said.

There are no similar conflicts between judges and commissioners in Stevens, Pend Oreille, Ferry, Asotin, Whitman, Adams and Lincoln counties, which also are members of the consortium.

Most courts in those counties used to send juvenile offenders to Spokane. Now, that detention center is full and rural counties are scrambling to find a secure facility to house the youths.

The nine counties have committed to filling 28 of Martin Hall’s beds. Harris said the consortium hopes to rent the additional 24 beds to other rural counties at a profit.

, DataTimes