Task force looks at options for jail

PRINCETON — The Jail Task Force is continuing its research into the best plan for Bureau County and the county jail.

At Thursday’s meeting, the jail task force reviewed the Wold Engineering presentation given at the recent county board meeting, in which was stated a new 40-bed jail would cost about $9.4 million and a new law and justice center, which includes the jail, would cost about $15.5 million. The Wold numbers did not include any land acquisition cost.

Task Force Chairman Joe Bertetto said the Wold presentation was very informative, though the construction numbers were a bit high. Wold based its calculations on $220 per square foot, but by making some adjustments, he thinks a new jail or law and justice center could be built for $195 per square foot, Bertetto said.

If a new facility is built off-site from the current jail location, then the county may just as well go with the law and justice center, Bertetto said. The current courthouse has a limited life, he added.

Task Force member Rick Wilkin said the decision rests on what the county can afford, including how and where the county will get its money. Those funding options will be presented to the county board at its January meeting, Wilkin said.

Talking about county finances, Task Force member Marshann Entwhistle said the county can’t forget about the lawsuits pending against the county in federal court. Insurance won’t pay all those costs, she said.

The number of lawsuits against the county, because of the jail, will only increase if nothing is done with the jail, Wilkin said.

With a new U.S. president and new state representatives, the county could seek federal or state funding, Wilkin said. Both the governor and president-elect are pushing for capital improvement projects to bring jobs to areas.

In looking at the Wold presentation, Bureau County Sheriff John Thompson said the design and example used by Wold was based on a county that is smaller in population than Bureau County and also has a fewer arrest history.

Looking at ways to bring money into the county, Bertetto said he has been contacted by the Eagles Companies modular building firm in Chillicothe about Bureau County renting modulars from the Chillicothe company. The county could then rent out those cell beds to other counties or communities needing extra cell space.