Gage County Continues To Seek Public Input For New Jail
By Gordon Hopkins
Gage County is seeking public input before making any decisions regarding a proposed new jail. Supervisors emphasized that fact at a meeting last week when the former Dempster Manufacturing plant was proposed as one possible site for the new facility.
The Gage County Sheriff’s Office hosted town hall meetings on Wednesday, March 4, and Friday, March 6, at the Beatrice High School Hevelone Center to provide information to the public and receive feedback regarding a proposed new jail and law enforcement center for the sheriff’s office. Treanor Architects and Davis Design had personnel on hand to discuss the needs for the jail and projected improvements.
The sheriff’s office will then be holding an open house at the current sheriff’s office and detention center on Saturday and Sunday, March 21 and 22, from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m, located at 12 Lincoln Street in Beatrice.
Costs
While a final cost has not yet been determined, the estimated cost is $600 to $650 per square foot for construction, and there is a need for five to seven acres of land to build off-site for a 50,000 to 55,000 square foot facility. Various financing options are being considered.
Counties in Nebraska do not currently have the authority to impose a local sales tax, so a bond is the primary funding option available for a project of this type. If the county were to pursue building a new facility, funding would require voter approval of a bond. A bond allows the county to borrow money for a large capital project and repay it over time through property taxes.
Supervisor Emily Haxby said, “If voters were to approve a bond, the county could explore the possibility of working with the Nebraska Legislature to seek authorization for a limited sales tax tied specifically to the project. However, that would require legislative approval and is not guaranteed.”
Haxby pointed out there are there are costs and considerations with both building and not building.
“If the county does not build a new facility, state law still requires the county to house inmates. This could involve paying other counties to house inmates, transporting inmates for court appearances and medical appointments, and maintaining limited holding space locally.
“If the county builds a new facility, costs would include construction, financing, operations, staffing, and maintenance. However, housing inmates locally keeps jobs and payroll in the county,” noted Haxby. “Another factor to consider is that many nearby county jails are aging, including facilities in Jefferson, Thayer, Johnson, and Nemaha counties that were built in the 1970s. Pawnee County has already closed its jail. As older facilities close or reduce capacity, housing inmates elsewhere could become more challenging.”
Location
Supervisor Gary Lytle said at the meeting, held Wednesday morning before the first town hall, “There is not a site that has been picked yet. That’s part of what the process is with the town hall meetings. There’s been some discussion about different options.”
One possible site that has been suggested by members of the public is the former Dempster Manufacturing plant on South 6th Street in Beatrice, which was severely damaged in a fire last year, leading to emergency demolition.
Ted Fairbanks, Beatrice City Councilperson, told supervisors the site would require demolition of existing buildings and significant cleanup, “You’re probably, in rough numbers and in a conservative estimate, you’re going to have $18 million in the site before you’ve built anything on it.”
However, Fairbanks said he would support the sale of the property to the county if it was chosen as the new jail location, “We would gladly sell it to the county for $1. If you want to spend the $18 million to clean it up and build something there, have at it.”
Reasons
According to Christian Petrick with Davis Design, the current jail was a house that was built in 1917. It was added on to on the east and west sides in 1977. That means parts of the facility are more than 50 years old and other parts over 110 years old. In addition, some things, like the boiler, and much of the plumbing systems are original. Much of the electrical system is 50 years old and has parts that are no longer in production, making the system essentially unrepairable.
Another problem is overcrowding. Currently, all female inmates, all juveniles and many male inmates are transported out of county for housing. The current facility does not allow for separation and control of detainees. The cost of housing inmates at out-of-county facilities is roughly $110 per day, per detainee. That does not include such indirect costs as transportation, escort, time and vehicle expenses.
