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Architect explains why building a new jail is not a cheap project
Note: This is the third in a three-part series of a discussion about the proposed jail project with Architect Larry Goldberg.
When voters go to the polls Tuesday, they will be asked to decide whether there should be a county-wide sales tax increase to fund a $6.8 million bond issue to build a new jail.
Larry Goldberg, president of Goldberg Group Architects of St. Joseph, Mo., admits it's an expensive project, but he explained why when he met with The Tribune Tuesday.
While the facility is being designed to meet today's codes and standards, it also is being built with the future in mind -- as much as the future can be predicted.
Goldberg said he is not designing a "Taj Mahal" for prisoners or jail staff.
"Far from it," Goldberg said. "I'm not. It's all reinforced block and steel. There is no luxury in these facilities, I promise you."
He said the expense is due to the security systems and the construction of "all of these rooms jammed together in this compact plan that drive the cost of a building like this up," Goldberg said.
He said the design will include "cutting-edge technology" for security and operations.
"We believe in using security technology to enhance visual control, operational security and the personal safety of prisoners and staff, particularly staff," Goldberg said. "I know that people feel anger towards the safety and security towards prisoners. But I have had the pleasure of hearing lots of people in Bourbon County get it. That is, that first of all, many if not most of the people in Bourbon County's jail are not yet convicted of a crime, they stand accused of a crime. And I hate to say it, that can happen to all kinds of people. That doesn't mean they're guilty, but the idea that they are housed, incarcerated or detained in a clean, safe, humane environment is critical."
An example is somebody's good kid who made a bad choice, he said.
"Staff certainly deserve to come to work -- their job has enough hazards as it is," Goldberg said. "They deserve to have a clean, safe, secure, humane work environment. I want to make sure people don't lose sight of that. That's a good deal of what we're doing here."
Technology not available five years ago is being harnessed to give staff greater control, security and flexibility. It will also allow the county to maintain a lower number of staff, he said.
Each hour, or in the case of a suicide watch, every 15 minutes, a jailer has to take the "mobile post" and do a check of the cells.
"The more I can empower these guys with technology, the safer they are, the faster they can respond to PREA (Prison Rape Elimination Act) and the less staff you need," Goldberg said.
Technology also allows a jailer who currently is stationary in their position to be able to assist in another location of the jail. Instead of a linear design, the jail is being built with the control area located in the center with the pods built in a wheel design around the center. This will allow the jailer to have a line of sight into each pod without having to walk down a hall, as is the case with the existing facility.
In Muskegon County, Mich., GGA was designing a 622-bed jail. The county expected to need 58 jailers, but Goldberg said his firm showed them it could be done with 43 jailers by using technology.
"The difference is helping pay for their bonds," Goldberg said. "So the collaboration of this is critical."
The technology would cost $18,000, but Goldberg said that would be the best $18,000 a county could spend.
Another feature of the jail is, instead of building with precast concrete, Goldberg said his firm is recommending using steel. He said while his firm has been involved with projects using precast concrete, one drawback is the precast concrete cells do not allow for flexibility for special sized cells.
Steel cells can be constructed in any size.
Another drawback to concrete is that it is porous material. That means after years of having detainees urinate on the walls, the new jail will smell like the existing jail.
Another advantage of using steel cells is the weight -- 4,800 pounds versus 22,000 to 24,000 for a concrete cell. That means it will be easier to support the steel cells than the concrete cells, he said.
Finally, steel cells will fall under building code requirements established in Florida following Hurricane Andrew in 2012. That means prisoners could be sheltered in place in the event of a tornado. Besides safety for prisoners and jail staff, that also means emergency personnel won't have to focus on locating prisoners in the event they leave a structure that has been damaged.
The cells will be rear chase, which means there will be a 5-foot space between the back of the cell and the exterior wall. All the utilities will be located in this space above the slab, avoiding the current issue of having the utilities encased in concrete.
Goldberg said the design also means the exterior is not a part of the security aspect of the building.
While prisoners must have enough access to natural light so they can discern night and day and the weather, the design will eliminate the current problem of prisoners being able to see directly outside.
"What it means is I can shape the outside of the building that gives them their natural light, but it means this jail can be a pretty attractive neighbor," Goldberg said.
Cost
Goldberg said the cost of the project is inclusive -- fees, expenses, land purchase, furnishings and the construction.
The project will be repaid with a .4-cent sales tax. That means for every $10 spent, 4 cents will go towards the bond project. Every $100 spent will generate 40 cents and every $1,000 spent will generate $4.
The building will be 21,000-square feet, which figures to be about $260 to $270 per square foot.
Originally, the thought was the project would be a little less, but the cost of steel increased. When that information was presented to county commissioners, Goldberg said he hopes steel prices could level out and come down again.
Time line
Should the bond issue pass Tuesday, Goldberg said his firm will be ready to roll with the project as soon as Sheriff Bill Martin gets the official nod from county commissioners. It will take five to six months to complete the detailed design and be ready for bidding. After that, it will take 12 to 14 months for construction.
There also will be time for transitioning and training staff in the new facility.
Site
The county also has to decide on the location for the jail, possibly seven to eight acres. Even though this is a countywide project, by state statute, the jail has to be located within the county seat. Martin said they are looking at five possible locations and talking with landowners who might be interested in selling their property.
"There are some landowners who have offered their land for a certain amount of dollars," Martin said. "We've been in contact with other landowners, real estate agents who are still talking to their clients about price."
The county also solicited proposals from the public and got one response, which was considered, Goldberg said.
Martin said when he, the county commissioners and Goldberg narrow the choice down to three sites, there will be a public forum to have an open discussion with the community.
"I know we're not going to make everybody happy where we put this," Martin said. "There will always be somebody, or several people, upset where the jail goes. People don't want jails in their back yards."
He said people have a fear of prisoners breaking out.
"But when prisoners break out, it's caused by human error," Martin said. "It has nothing to do with the design of the facility. It has nothing to do with the architect or anything else in the facility. It's because of human error -- lack of head count, lack of security count, lack of keeping an eye on what inmates are doing."
Goldberg said they are trying to avoid certain locations, such as train tracks, day care centers, schools, the national cemetery.
"The problem is, when you get through with this hit list, you're really struggling to find sites to avoid all these places," Goldberg said.
He said he hopes the community understands they are committed to avoiding those areas.
"One of the concerns people want to vote is they want to know where the location is," Martin said. "The problem with that is the county is limited in expenses. When a building structure goes in, there are a lot of preliminary studies that have to be done."
Existing utilities must be located, a soil survey must be conducted, the property has to be surveyed. Martin said because the county's budget is limited, those items would be paid for with the sales tax revenue.