BCCJCC discusses site options
PRINCETON — Location options and future space needs for the Bureau County Jail were discussed at Tuesday’s meeting of the Bureau County Criminal Justice Center Commission (BCCJCC).
Consultant Dennis Kimme was on hand to discuss completed portions of his study, as well as what things still have to be addressed. About eight committee members and three people from the public attended Tuesday’s meeting. Cost estimates for an expanded or new county jail or a new law and justice center have not yet been determined.
Concerning a site for the jail, Kimme presented a couple preliminary sketches to the BCCJCC, showing an expanded jail at the current site and a completely new jail at a new site in Princeton. The new site, which was not specifically identified, is within a few minutes driving time from the courthouse, BCCJCC co-chairman Rick Wilkin said. There is also a third possible site, for which no drawing was presented.
Looking at the current jail site, Kimme said an expansion would take up the majority of the lot size, which runs along South Pleasant Street about 400 feet south from Park Avenue West. The entrance lobby would be moved from its current Park Avenue side to the South Pleasant side. A new 48-bed housing pod would be built on the south side of the expanded facility.
The expansion work would probably be done in three phases to accommodate keeping the jail in operation, if possible, during construction time, Kimme said.
BCCJCC co-chairman Rick Wilkin said an expansion at the current site would require getting setback variances from the city’s zoning board and city council. Current Princeton zoning laws require a building take up no more than 50 percent of a single lot. The proposed expansion would take up an estimated 80 percent of the lot.
Two neighbors to the current jail site expressed some concerns about the closeness of the expanded facility to their properties, specifically about visibility and yard use.
Kimme said jail windows in that part of the building would be translucent, allowing sunlight inside but preventing inmates from seeing outside.
In looking at a current jail site expansion, Kimme said mechanical operations would have to take place on the roof. Any future expansion would not be possible.
“We really ran out of room on this site very quickly,” Kimme said. “That’s one of the downsides of where we’re at. We’re pretty much tapping out the property. And again it’s questionable whether we’re tapping it out too much.”
Looking at building a new jail on a different site, Kimme said the BCCJCC has considered a specific 4.9 acre property. The new site would provide sufficient room for the efficient design of a one-story facility and for any future expansion. The new facility would be built for a possible second floor expansion, if the court system was transferred at some point from the county courthouse, Kimme said.
As also presented at Tuesday’s meeting, Kimme said he has completed a 25-page space list report, which includes “wants” as well as “needs” for the county jail. Those needs and wants have been compiled with the help of Bureau County Sheriff John Thompson, based on what the county wants the jail to provide 30 years from now. Knowing the county’s budget is not going to cover all “wants” on that list, the next step is to review that list and start making adjustments, Kimme said.
The consultant said he takes the responsibility for pushing Thompson to supply the “wants” as well as the “needs” list.
The BCCJCC will meet again at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 29 at the Bureau County Courthouse, at which point hopefully some cost estimates will be available. The public is invited to all BCCJCC meetings.
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