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February 28, 2024
Author: Dwayne Page
Eye-opener!
The County Commission’s Prison Committee received for the first time a schematic site plan for the justice center, which includes what the justice center would look like and how much it would cost.
Watch the video on our YouTube channel
At a meeting Tuesday night, Treanor Architects’ John Eisenlau and Bell Construction’s Rick Bruining unveiled plans for 150-, 190- and 225-bed facilities as requested by the prison board in January. Under the three options presented by Bell, the estimated cost of building the justice center ranges from $57,317,500 for a 150-bed jail (with no shell space for future expansion) to $70,317,500 for a 225-bed jail. The estimated cost of the courthouse complex alone is $11,550,000, with an estimated design services fee of $3,000,000 based on 6% of the building value.
Although he did not attend Tuesday night’s meeting, Steve Bates, the county’s fiscal agent, provided information upon request about the types of funding flows needed to support the debt under those options.
“Assuming a net value of 1 cent in the property tax rate yields $61,450, the cost of a $57,315,000 project (150-bed option) would require 59 cents (property tax increase) to amortize the $3,595,000 debt, or two It’s both. The wheel tax increases by $50 and the property tax increases by 41 cents,” Bates wrote.
If the county chooses the $70,317, $500 option to build the 225-bed facility, it would need to increase property taxes by 72 cents to amortize the $4,410,000 debt, or it could do so through a $50 wheel tax and a 54-cent Property tax dollars to raise funds for the increase.
Bates further explained, “These estimates are on the high side due to the high volatility in interest rates. Interest income during construction and bonds sold at a premium will allow for some adjustments.”
In addition to this information, County Executive Matt Adcock announced that he has been in contact with another landowner, Jerry Dwayne Foster, who He owns 57.59 acres off Allen’s Ferry Road behind the Bizee Mart that he is willing to sell to the county for $1.3 million. . The property is not currently within city limits but may be annexed.
Eisenlaw explained that if the county were to move forward with a construction project, the final plans may differ from what was presented Tuesday night.
“This gives you a general idea of the size of the building and its placement on the land,” Eisenlaw said. “What we were asked to do was show what a building for about 150 people[inmates]would look like, if you had 190 people or 225 people; how much property would be needed; and a rough estimate of the cost. When we do a project like this, We’ll use some simple benchmarks. We usually have a rough idea of square footage, but based on everything you’ve seen on paper today, your building may not look exactly like this because we don’t have too much Time to talk to the Sheriff’s Department or Justice Department about how it’s going to work. We usually get this done within a few months, but when I’m asked to do my best, 30 days later, that’s what it may or may not be look like,” Eisenlau said.
Offering single- and two-story building options, it includes jail and inmate housing facilities, three court complexes, a Sheriff’s Administration Building and parking garages totaling 100,000 square feet on 13.5 acres. In each case, Eisenlaw said, the jail would house inmates on the first floor, with a mezzanine on the second floor to accommodate additional inmates. In the second option, the entire complex would be a two-story structure. When asked about the cost difference, Bruining said single-story construction is typically around 12-15% higher.
“We laid out the buildings this way primarily because if you choose to build a jail now, you can build on jail operations and housing, and you can add courthouses and sheriff’s operations later. The program can be expanded like a campus-type program,” Eisenlaw said.
After learning how costly the proposed project would be, several county commissioners recommended that architects and contractors revisit the existing jail location and possibly propose a phased renovation/expansion plan for the site that might be more receptive to the public .
“I’m not prepared to vote on anything until we explore our options because I don’t know if the county can afford it right now, but I think the existing jail is at least a good option worth exploring. If we can Putting it (the new jail) on the existing site, I think it will help us a lot, especially if we can put the courtroom above it (the jail) to hear criminal cases and keep the courthouse for hearings Civil case.” Commissioner Tony Luna.
“If we’re going to keep the existing courthouses (courthouses), do we need three new courtrooms? Do we really need five courtrooms in DeKalb County?” Commissioner Daniel Cripps asked.
“When we voted (to recommend the justice center in November), we did not discuss using the courts for civil cases and did not consider such costs,” Commissioner Larry Green said.
“Given the numbers, I’m not sure we can afford it,” Commissioner Green added. “If we built 100 beds on another (adjacent) property from where we are now (the current location) and then demolish the (prison annex) we have now and rebuild there, we would probably do it in phases,” Green said.
“I agree with Larry,” Commissioner Andy Parker said. “We’re in this situation because the prison doesn’t meet state requirements. That’s what we need to focus on is the prison itself. Others I’ve talked to in the Sixth Ward are not sold on the idea (of purchasing property for the Justice Center). They There is a strong desire that we work to make existing properties work,” he said.
“Can you come up with a plan for the current location and cost of our jails?” Commissioner Beth Pafford asked.
“We can try to install it on your current website,” Eisenlaw replied.
“I think it’s an important thing,” Pafford said.
“I know they (the county) have the veterans building where the Sheriff’s Department now has offices, which is behind the school board (building). I know when Mark Willoughby was the school director, I remember I heard them talking about if a new school was built, they could move the school board offices to the Smithville Elementary building and maybe the county could take over that building (the Ernest Ray Educational Center) which is right around the corner,” Pafford explain.
“There are a lot of people in the county who either think we can modify the existing building (the jail annex) or where it should be (the new jail) because they want to see it downtown. I think as a committee we It’s necessary to show those folks if this is feasible and what the cost will be compared to other options we have considered. Unless I’m wrong about that property, if there is no school board building and veterans building or we don’t There’s no way we could build something next to the property we own if we own other properties. Think about what you could do if you owned the entire neighborhood,” Commissioner Tom Chandler said.
“It’s necessary for us to do research and share it with people so they can see it to better understand what we’re looking at and what barriers we have or don’t have for each type of building and location,” Suzanne Cripps Commissioner Daughtry said. “To make it a justice center, the total effort would require an increase of $11.5 million, which is a lot of money, especially when we have other things we need to do. It comes down to maximizing the resources we currently have, and figure out what we can do and save some money,” she said.
Commissioner Greg Matthews, who has worked in law enforcement, said past county commissions often have not adequately addressed such needs in the county and he does not want to see the commission continue that pattern
“Some of the alternatives being built here or there, left or right, just shake my soul because I’m the only person here who has ever run a criminal justice center and cared about the functionality of everyone who works there,” the commissioner said. and safety.” Matthews.
“Secondly, we are discussing acquiring a building (school board property) that we do not own and first have to build a new school, which could take four to five years. We cannot delay this because according to We are obligated by law to have and maintain prisons,” Matthews continued. “It’s not my business to push this. If someone else buys those 57 acres (Foster’s property) one day, we’re going to pay some stupid or ridiculous amount for the land because there’s not that much (available) land out there. .I don’t think it’s a waste of this guy’s (architect’s) time to do a bunch of stuff (create a new site plan), add a school board building when we know we’re going to have to wait seven to eight years before we can start on a new jail or justice center ”.
“Third, the last expansion of the prison (in 2001) was a joke,” Matthews said. “It was built on the cheapest budget and within a year people were running out of the roof and tearing everything apart. I don’t want to be known ten years from now as just another council doing nothing. I agree with saving by stacking Money idea, but we have an obligation to make sure our county has what it needs as well. We’re going to spend the money, but spend it wisely. I think we should look at the acres at Allen’s Ferry because we have a (new) The health department (project), which is fully funded (with state and local ARP funding), is ready to build, but we have nowhere to put it. These 57 acres allow for future growth in DeKalb County,” Commissioner Matthews explained.
Matthews said if the county decided to build just a 150-bed jail, the jail would be overcrowded by the time it opened and wouldn’t meet state certification.
“One of the offers here was for a 150-bed jail. Before COVID-19, CTAS’s Jim Hart (who conducted a jail study) and Sheriff Patrick Ray offered Data shows the jail’s average daily incarceration population is 130 men and 28 women, for a total of 158. That’s plus the state’s required minimum of 15 inmates classified into sex offenders and violent offenders offenders, etc. (separated from nonviolent offenders) is another 24 beds, so based on the numbers provided by Jim and Patrick, the minimum need is 182 beds. So a 150 bed justice center immediately fails (National Certification). I don’t think you’re spending money on anything that’s going to fail the day it opens,” Commissioner Matthews said.
Bob Bass, deputy director of the Tennessee Correctional Facility, the entity responsible for inspecting and accrediting prisons, attended Tuesday night’s meeting and, when asked, said overcrowding could be a factor in deciding or maintaining certification.
“If you open a brand new prison and it’s already overcrowded, you’re going to need a plan of action. We’ve had that happen,” Bass said.
Several members of the public were also in attendance and asked questions toward the end of the meeting during the public comment period. Some of the questions were directed at Bass, who explained that while TCI can’t get a county to build a jail, it’s important to maintain jail certification or face liability. Without TCI’s certification, a county could be subject to state or federal lawsuits, and a judge, especially a federal judge, could force an expensive jail to be built to federal standards and potentially accrue fines to the county before construction is completed.
“Tennessee has 124 prisons, and only five of them are not certified, and they are really at risk,” Bass said.
After hearing from the commissioners, County Manager Adcock said he would direct architects and contractors to conduct another study of the existing jail location, even though a previous study concluded the site may be too small to be used. Suitable for reconstruction or expansion.
At Bass’s suggestion, Mayor Adcock said he plans to schedule a public town hall-style meeting with the council and Bass to better inform the community about issues and needs at the jail.
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