May 11, 2010 in City

Spokane County still mulling jail options

Public hearing slated Wednesday on site proposals

• Print
• Email
• Share

Spokane County commissioners are still exploring options as they prepare to take final testimony on proposed jail sites.

A public hearing Wednesday will focus on a study that says, if cost didn’t matter, the county courthouse campus is the best site for a new jail to replace the Geiger Corrections Center.

The second- and third-best sites would be undeveloped land in Airway Heights, next to Spokane County Raceway Park, and near the Medical Lake interchange of Interstate 90, according to consultants.

Integrus Architecture and Jim Kolva Associates say construction would cost more at the courthouse site, in large measure because it would require a $21.3 million parking garage.

Commissioners heard several possibilities last week for satisfying the parking needs without a garage, but there was no silver bullet.

The three-level, 712-space parking garage would be on county land across Broadway Avenue from the courthouse and the Public Works Building. Two small office buildings would be demolished, and occupants would be transferred to other county quarters.

Jail operating costs would be lower at the courthouse site because duplicated services and transportation costs would be eliminated. Also, there would be better access to courts, attorneys and other important services.

But the undeveloped sites offer more flexibility for future expansion. It could be enlarged one 256-bed “pod” at a time, possibly without additional bond measures.

Wherever the new jail is built, an integral part of the project is a separate, 256-bed community corrections center where day-release inmates would receive classes, counseling and treatment.

Until last week, the “essential public facilities” site evaluation assumed the community corrections center would be near the new jail. But sheriff’s Lt. Mike Sparber, the project manager, suggested it might be better to build the community corrections center on the courthouse campus regardless of where the new jail is located.

That raised a legal question: Does the county site-selection ordinance for jails and other unpopular facilities allow commissioners to use two of the recommended sites?

Although the community corrections center by itself would require only 49 parking spaces, plans call for it to be built on a 263-space parking lot.

Another possibility that emerged last week was purchase of the privately owned Monroe Court office building for the community corrections center. The building at 901 N. Monroe St. adjoins the courthouse campus but is outside the “essential public facilities” study area.

Chief Civil Deputy Prosecutor Jim Emacio said the county might be able to use the building without another six-month, $70,000 study if the city of Spokane and surrounding property owners agreed.

However, he said that would be risky because people who formally opposed the courthouse site – including much of the downtown business establishment – might have standing for a lawsuit.

Officials also were looking into the possibility of shoehorning the community corrections center into a space next to the proposed jail tower, saving 263 parking spaces.

The Monroe Court building would not only save those spaces but add 170.

Don Coon, the county’s design and construction manager, says the Monroe Court building also would provide an entire floor of surplus space – about 26,000 square feet – that could be rented out or used for county offices.

Allowing 50 parking places for the surplus office space and 49 for the community corrections center, the 170-space Monroe Court parking lot would offset all but 210 of the extra spaces needed for the jail project.

Rough estimates are that the building would cost $11 million to $13 million and would require $11.7 million worth of renovation.

The cost would be about the same as a parking garage, and there still wouldn’t be enough spaces to meet the city of Spokane’s minimum requirement.

Coon said the county might purchase vacant land at the western edge of the courthouse campus for a 110-space parking lot. He estimated purchase and development cost at $1.1 million.

Eight comments on this story so far. Add yours!

• 

  riverlaw on May 11 at 6:04 a.m.

  Sadly, we are still not hearing a lot more about increasing non-jail focused programs that would reduce the burden that this is going to have on taxpayers.

• 

  Scoutster on May 11 at 6:54 a.m.

  This is nuts.

  Cars and convicts elbowing out useful, productive real estate so we can feed the beast of failed public policies.

  The perfect metaphor for a Faux News world colored always by fear and distrust.

  We get the govt we deserve.

• 

  MrNatural on May 11 at 8:51 a.m.

  http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100511/ap_on_go_ot/us_obama_drug_policy

  I suspect locally the brain trusts (local lobbyists) are chomping at the bit. I know they are influencing the decision makers with entrenched institutional law enforcement methods and most likely are being lobbied by local contractors and suppliers of “prison equipment”; follow the money on this one boys and girls.
  The above link is a good read on one new progressive approach…you know…progressive…that nasty little word to conservatives who in this case will decide how to cook the local pork projects…if they could ever learn that this is about people and not prisons…This is about communities and not the number of cells…and that intervention can be much less expensive than incarceration…

• 

  MrDavis on May 11 at 1:55 p.m.

  Maybe the answer is a combination jail/racetrack, with an annual fundraiser race: the Felon 500.

• 

  ChefGus/ John Olsen on May 12 at 9:22 a.m.

  It seems they are intent in putting this on the ballot… which seems a waste of time and money cause it just ain’t gonna pass if the costs of administering and running it also are pubic information.

  So much less, spent on direct services as other forward thinking jurisdictions are doing… and it is changing peoples lives, and helping families get the care they need. Early Childhood education and head start and feeding programs are a good way to begin… but the budgets for “corrections” are not integrated with the budgets for “services”.

  Just locking people up does not help anyone. John

• 

  Dazzeetrader11 on May 12 at 2:06 p.m.

  Helps the people that would be victimized Gus. We pay for services along those lines. True though, lots of thie prison type work could be greatly cheapened by triaging the low level crooks from the serious criminals that’ll cause harm…a lot of harm.
  If somehow that work can be done, it would save millions in prison care. Another idea might be to identify the drug/alcohol people who sober up and need some after care provided they didn’t kill or seriously hurt comeone or some thing when they were under the influence. Millions couldbe saved there as well.

  FInally though, the County seems to be wiling to save $50 million by using property and land available to them already.
  It won’t be the kindom the Sheriff wants but the people pay for his ideas. Ideas can and should be cheapened greatly if the jail itself remains the focus. Work on downsizing it and use the resources already there should help greatly.

• 

  ChefGus/ John Olsen on May 13 at 4:55 a.m.

  Daisy, thank you for your comments… I see folks every day that have been to DEtXOX… and many times treament that are then turned right back to the streets.. direct interventional services abound… ( including jail/lockup over night)… but there are comprehensive plans being used elsewhere to reduce recidivism and they work… an example is the “study” done by Sheriff Ozzie that worked just fine, but the commissioners gutted it..

  Our budget at Shalom is mostly one half time program manager and monthly rent and utilities and food… the rest is run on the backs of willing and wonderful volunteer staffers we have… we spend 50,000 a year and serve 30,000 meals…. and momma was right the breakfast meal is the most important… a balance of protein fat and carbs that is proper makes all of those served start of the day, and rest of the day more tenable ….. It is a finger in the dike that makes the downtown more “friendly” without hungry street folks wandering around… john

• 

  Adam_Werth on June 11 at 9:46 a.m.

  Basing our local economy on criminal justice is poor public policy. Far too much of our local government budgets are directed to this activity. A focus on economic development would be a better choice.