April 21, 2010 in City

Costs for new Spokane County jail confirmed

Analysis supports earlier projections for facility

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A new cost analysis confirmed what preliminary estimates had already shown: A new Spokane County jail would be cheaper to build on undeveloped West Plains land but would be cheaper to operate on the county courthouse campus.

County commissioners on Tuesday set a May 12 date to hold public hearings on the three possible sites.

Two “essential public facilities” studies have found the courthouse complex is the best site if cost is not an issue. Private land in Airway Heights, next to the Spokane County Raceway Park, is ranked second-best in the new study, followed by private land near the Medical Lake interchange on Interstate 90.

Commissioners chose the courthouse site in May 2008 but started over when costs proved much higher than expected.

Commissioner Bonnie Mager said Tuesday that she wanted more information about costs at the courthouse campus site before scheduling next month’s hearing.

She was overruled by Commissioners Mark Richard and Todd Mielke.

With a proposed bond election a year away, Richard said the time will “go by in the blink of an eye.” Mielke said the “overwhelming majority” of questions have already been answered.

Commissioners learned Tuesday that a new six-story jail tower next to the existing jail would cost $177.1 million to build, not including other project costs.

A compound of one-story buildings would cost an estimated $151.2 million at Airway Heights and $152.7 million at the Medical Lake interchange, where more utility work would be required.

Total project costs, except for financing, are estimated at $265.7 million at the courthouse campus, $226.8 million at Airway Heights and $229 million at Medical Lake.

Financing cost estimates range from $110.2 million for the Airway Heights and Medical Lake sites to $127.8 million for the courthouse site.

Consultants say a courthouse jail would add $1.9 million a year to what it currently costs to operate the Geiger Corrections Center. Either of the other sites would add $3.3 million, reflecting the need to duplicate services and transport prisoners farther.

Sheriff’s officials believe they could reduce operating costs at the remote sites if corrections officers would agree to work 12-hour shifts.

For the sake of an apples-to-apples comparison, the study assumed all three sites would be built to their maximum capacity – as would be required for the six-story campus tower. However, the rural complexes could be built in phases.

Cost estimates for each site include money to demolish Geiger as required by its landlord, the Spokane Airport Board, which plans to cancel the county’s lease in 2013.

The airport is owned by the county and the city of Spokane, and those governments appoint airport board directors.

All of the proposed jail sites would involve some work on the courthouse campus, including renovation of the existing jail and expansion of the booking area.

With the existing jail reduced to 462 beds, and with 256 beds the county could rent to other governments, the overall bed count would be 1,798. The current jail was designed for 483 in 1986, but occupancy has approached 700.

Each site would include a community corrections building with 256 beds for short-term inmates.

The sheriff’s garage and the Department of Emergency Management would have to be relocated to accommodate a community corrections center on the courthouse campus. Plans call for a two-level, $14 million parking structure south of the courthouse because 270 precious parking spaces also would be lost.

That would require demolition of two small county buildings and relocation of several county offices.

Mager wants to explore less expensive possibilities for dealing with the parking problem, including putting the community corrections center in the privately owned Monroe Court building near the jail.

Through last year, the county has spent nearly $1.6 million to study its jail needs. That includes $992,962 for various consultants, $599,617 in salaries and expenses for the county’s “project team.”

One of the consultants, David Bennett, has an ongoing contract to help the county reduce its need for jail beds by overhauling its entire criminal justice system.

Earlier Tuesday, Mager dissented in a vote to appropriate $62,000 for a jail project public relations contract that will receive a public hearing May 4.

The contract contemplates only six months of work and may run out of steam five months before the election, but Mielke and Richard thought the project needed professional help right away.

Seven comments on this story so far. Add yours!

• 

  lewis8457 on April 21 at 8:43 a.m.

  they are still going forward with the 10 billion dollar jail. I don’t understand why they don’t put tents up out at the racetrack. that way the inmates could go and enjoy the casino.

  I wonder who would pay 179 a night to stay in a hotel that borders a prison and a racetrack?

• 

  horse_feathers on April 21 at 9:32 a.m.

  They are only going foreward if we the voters let them.
  My vote won’t.

• 

  Dazzeetrader11 on April 21 at 11:36 a.m.

  If this report is correct and not misleading, $14 million for 270 car parks works to $51 K per stall. Even the most expensive stalls in the industry are 1/4 that.. My group has funded several around the country. I suspect there are lots more stalls than the writer knows about.

  I wonder if the Sheriff is receiving the correct numbers. Unions must be having a field day. I wonder if there has been an audit to date to better assess the accuracy of these crazy numbers…there should be. Seems like the public needs protection from outright theft before allowing the politicians to spend this outrageous amount of money. BEFORE contracts are let.

• 

  Another_Perspective on April 21 at 12:14 p.m.

  Gonna cost a lot to haul inmates back and forth to the courthouse. I hope them jail busses have some good snow tires on them.

  They forgot they are going to need a law library?

  Me think we should be putting most of City Hall in Jail along with a couple Commissioners who robbed us of a couple tens of Millions. Well since we dont lock up drunk Cops or Sherrifs, we are saving a lot of room there.

• 

  Dazzeetrader11 on April 21 at 1:10 p.m.

  The citizens of Spokane should be furious that these numbers are even brought forth to them. It’s plain robbery. The more I think about this…it’s pretty clear an auditor should be showing up NOW…not later when the budget ( over budget) is affirmed and approved.
  $1 million for consultants? Who tell the Sheriff that they’re worth it so pay up now? Legally this cannot have the legs it needs.
  The figures are SO inflated, I wonder about the competency of those who accept them. Somebody needs a professional who can manage this for the City and County. Then that same person should run for Mayor and clean up City Hall as well.

• 

  BigE on April 21 at 1:43 p.m.

  How about if we put them up in one of old abandoned buildings next to the railroad tracks. They can fence it, fix it up, kind of like Devils Island right here in the River City.
  Then maybe when their digs are shabby they won’t want to come back.
  We now have a halfway house, prisoner transition hotel by work, whew, looks like they just got out of jail, go figure, very scary.

  Keep working and paying those taxes,
  everything will be fine fine fine.

• 

  west on April 21 at 8:28 p.m.

  I think the ACLU tells Ozzie how to build the jail with all the frills.So the cons can fell good, warm and fuzzy. Sorry Ozzie, Spookyhollow County will have to issue an emergency bond issue to build this $300 mill jail…we aren’t voting for it….