July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Jail pitch ready for council (02/05/08)
Jay County Commissioners
By By JACK RONALD-
A scaled-back proposal for expanding the Jay County Jail will be taken to the county council this month, but at least one member of the council wants further study before proceeding.
Jay County Commissioners, Sheriff Ray Newton, and county councilman Gerald Kirby met Monday afternoon with Jeff Badders of SchenkelSchultz, Fort Wayne, to discuss ways a jail expansion could be scaled back from an estimated $6.2 million in construction costs to about $4 million.
Badders said that could be done if the expanded jail is built as a shell that could be developed into additional cellblocks over a period of several years.
The booking area would be moved to the north end of the expanded jail, creating more space within the current jail's footprint for 911 dispatch and administration. Space that would eventually house a new kitchen for the jail could initially be used for training purposes.
The new construction would require vacating a portion of an east-west alley north of the existing jail and the razing of the former Maitlen Motors building on West Main Street. Existing cellblocks in the current jail would be upgraded for safety and security reasons until new cellblocks could be developed in the future.
Commissioners have been struggling to bring down the price tag of any jail expansion in order to keep the project within the current tax rate. A combination of funding sources, including money from the infrastructure fund from the Jay County Landfill, would be tapped to pay off a construction bond issue.
But Kirby said Monday the project remains a tough sell as far as the county council is concerned. Commissioners plan to discuss jail expansion with the council on Wednesday, Feb. 13.
"If it's going to raise taxes, you will have a revolt," said Kirby, a former Jay County sheriff.
"We don't want to raise taxes," responded commissioner Gary Theurer.
Kirby urged contracting with an independent consultant, who would not be involved in any construction plans, to have a feasibility study conducted.
"Do we go ahead with what we've got right now from SchenkelSchultz? Or do we go to someone else and get a feasibility study?" said Kirby.
"Isn't that just throwing money away?" answered Theurer.
Commissioner Milo Miller Jr. said needs assessment work already done on the project by SchenkelSchultz and DLZ, Indianapolis, constituted a feasibility study.
"They're going to do exactly what DLZ did and what we did," said Badders. "The first question you're going to have to answer is, 'What's your budget?'"
Badders later added, "Part of this is a question of trust, but at some point in time you've got to put your trust in somebody to go forward."
"I've got trust in SchenkelSchultz because I know where you live," Miller said to Badders, who resides in Portland.
Noting that the county has been discussing the need for jail expansion since 2001, commissioner Faron Parr said, "I think we've been putting this off as long as we possibly could."[[In-content Ad]]
Jay County Commissioners, Sheriff Ray Newton, and county councilman Gerald Kirby met Monday afternoon with Jeff Badders of SchenkelSchultz, Fort Wayne, to discuss ways a jail expansion could be scaled back from an estimated $6.2 million in construction costs to about $4 million.
Badders said that could be done if the expanded jail is built as a shell that could be developed into additional cellblocks over a period of several years.
The booking area would be moved to the north end of the expanded jail, creating more space within the current jail's footprint for 911 dispatch and administration. Space that would eventually house a new kitchen for the jail could initially be used for training purposes.
The new construction would require vacating a portion of an east-west alley north of the existing jail and the razing of the former Maitlen Motors building on West Main Street. Existing cellblocks in the current jail would be upgraded for safety and security reasons until new cellblocks could be developed in the future.
Commissioners have been struggling to bring down the price tag of any jail expansion in order to keep the project within the current tax rate. A combination of funding sources, including money from the infrastructure fund from the Jay County Landfill, would be tapped to pay off a construction bond issue.
But Kirby said Monday the project remains a tough sell as far as the county council is concerned. Commissioners plan to discuss jail expansion with the council on Wednesday, Feb. 13.
"If it's going to raise taxes, you will have a revolt," said Kirby, a former Jay County sheriff.
"We don't want to raise taxes," responded commissioner Gary Theurer.
Kirby urged contracting with an independent consultant, who would not be involved in any construction plans, to have a feasibility study conducted.
"Do we go ahead with what we've got right now from SchenkelSchultz? Or do we go to someone else and get a feasibility study?" said Kirby.
"Isn't that just throwing money away?" answered Theurer.
Commissioner Milo Miller Jr. said needs assessment work already done on the project by SchenkelSchultz and DLZ, Indianapolis, constituted a feasibility study.
"They're going to do exactly what DLZ did and what we did," said Badders. "The first question you're going to have to answer is, 'What's your budget?'"
Badders later added, "Part of this is a question of trust, but at some point in time you've got to put your trust in somebody to go forward."
"I've got trust in SchenkelSchultz because I know where you live," Miller said to Badders, who resides in Portland.
Noting that the county has been discussing the need for jail expansion since 2001, commissioner Faron Parr said, "I think we've been putting this off as long as we possibly could."[[In-content Ad]]
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