Checking in to check out that $66.85 Geiger rate
It appears Spokane will be shelling out $66.85 a day for every inmate it ships out to the Geiger Corrections Center west of town.
This is almost 7 bucks more than the Geiger officials asked for.
But the big brainiacs down at City Hall decided to let some consultant come up with a figure. And so – wouldn’t you know – we all got screwed, glued and tattooed.
“Had the city not fought the county’s original proposal,” our news story reported, “the city would have saved taxpayers about $300,000.”
As a citizen who votes every now and then and even occasionally pays taxes, I view this Geiger hike as an outrage. It would be cheaper to rent our Geiger-bound malefactors downtown motel rooms, pay for their meals and toss in a movie.
You know, that’s really not as crazy as it sounds. Through the process of release (or the more usual escapes) all Geiger inmates wind up downtown eventually.
And so I have embarked on an experiment to prove my theory. Today, I plan to check into one of our downtown low-cost motels. During my stay I will spend the night, eat three squares and – just like Geiger inmates – try to score some rotgut hooch to ease the pain.
My goals are to:
1. Beat that $66.85 price and …
2. Avoid being mugged, plugged or subjected to involuntary shower sex.
“I believe that’s a good challenge, Doug,” Geiger Director Leon Long wrote in an e-mail when I told him what I was up to. “While I won’t comment on the sex part, they do get hot showers and TV here!!!”
That Leon is such a card.
Last January, he offered to give me a “Geiger Corrections Bed and Breakfast” T-shirt, which was designed by the custody manager.
I told Long I couldn’t accept a freebie and sent a check for $15. Sometime later, the gray T-shirt arrived. It has a drawing of a pair of handcuffs hanging from the word “Geiger” on the front. The back has a sketch of a bleak jail cell.
But getting back to my quest, Monday morning found me scouting the city’s core for cheap, crabs-free lodgings.
I immediately had to rule out the Davenport Hotel due to the fact that a basic room goes for $199.
There goes hanging with Samuel L. Jackson.
I jaywalked dejectedly across Sprague. The guy behind the front desk at the Hotel Lusso told me he needed $165 for a standard room “with a queen.”
I’m pretty sure he was talking about the bed.
Next up was the Montvale Hotel, 1005 W. First Ave. A young woman said $75 was her final offer.
As long as I was in the neighborhood, I felt obligated to check out the shabby Otis Hotel. A steely-eyed guy told me through a hole in a thick glass window that he didn’t rent rooms by the day.
A sign, however, indicated that a guest of an Otis dweller could spend the night for a nominal fee.
I’ve forked over a lot of spare change to panhandling Otis residents. But I don’t think any of them would consider my donations grounds for a sleepover.
The Ramada, 123 S. Post, wanted $57.20 including tax. Better.
Then on South Washington I saw this beat up, crusty sign: Downtowner Motel.
“This is probably gonna be the cheapest you’ll find around here,” said a talkative guy who was checking out.
The manager let me inspect a room. I saw a bed, TV and no discernable bloodstains. All good.
The price with tax was better: $40.13.
So will the downtrodden Downtowner be Doug’s downfall?
Stay tuned for my Thursday report on experiencing Spokane on a Geiger inmate budget.
Wherever I end up, I hope the room comes with a queen.