Fiscal Court leaning toward jail renovation

It's no secret that the Daviess County Detention Center has several structural issues that need to be addressed.

Jailer Art Maglinger approached Daviess Fiscal Court more than a year ago to note several areas at the facility that he requested receive attention.

But Fiscal Court was hesitant to invest in a building that may not have long-term viability, which led to it commissioning a review of the facility to determine if a renovation or a new build was the most prudent course of action.

It also wanted to see if the state legislature made any move toward the idea of regional jails, which no longer appears to be on the table.

"I asked the question if it's possible to build a regional detention center, one that would encompass not just Owensboro-Daviess County, but maybe Ohio County, McLean County, Hancock County, different counties that right now, yes, they may have a jailer as described by the state, but as far as a jail itself, they really don't have one that is significant enough to be able to handle everything as time moves and your population grows," Commissioner Larry Conder said. "I thought that would be logical.

"I even had somewhat of an area that would be kind of central with the counties involved, off the I-165 interchange to Beaver Dam or Hartford."

Conder said it's his understanding the Kentucky Jailers Association and the state discussed the possibility of regional jails, but nothing came of the talks. And with the state having a moratorium on new jail construction, counties are likely to bear all costs associated with upgrading jails.

"When I met with the staff to look at our different opportunities, different possibilities, one of the things (we discussed), obviously, is if we don't need to do a new jail, we're going to save a boatload of money (renovating) — maybe $100 million or $80 million; it's a tremendous sum," Judge-Executive Charlie Castlen said. "Right now the preliminary numbers I've heard are $35 million for a renovation."

The cost of building a new jail was estimated at $130 million, which would likely create financial roadblocks for the county in the future.

"Based on the cost of a rebuild, if we were to do that instead (of a renovation), from my understanding of the cost to the county, it would just hobble what future Fiscal Courts could do, and it would really restrict what we can do as well to help better the county," Commissioner Chris Castlen said. "It's always nice to have the latest and greatest technology on something, but for something like this, a renovation will help take care of the issues and bring things up to par where the jail will be a better living space and a better working space for those who live and work there — and safer."

Commissioner Janie Marksberry agrees that committing to building a new detention center would "cripple" the county for years.

"I think that's the biggest concern," she said of the longterm ramifications of taking on such debt. "We don't want to prohibit other things from being taken care of. I'm all for public safety, and I think we need to make improvements."

Marksberry, however, said her real estate background has often made her wonder if the property the detention center sits on has value that's been overlooked, and that could go toward the construction of a new facility.

"I've always been bothered by the where the jail is," she said. "Have we ever pursued this? We have some big industry on the riverfront. Has anyone seen if that's a possibility?"

Conder says the legislature continues to put financial pressures on jails — and Fiscal Courts — by not paying its share for housing state inmates, which lessens financial flexibility.

"Maybe have the state pay its fair share of state inmates," Conder said. "A 10% increase on $35 (per inmate, per day) is $3.50, which they did about two years ago. That's the help? It may sound good, but it's $3.50 a day, and given inflation and the cost of everything, that's a pittance. The state needs to do its fair share in helping maintain the state's inmates."

Conder also noted the county would have limited taxing avenues to generate the $130 million for a rebuild. Insurance premium fees would likely double, at minimum, to help offset the expenditure.

Fiscal Court approved a contract with JKS Architecture on Thursday for the Daviess County Detention Center renovation project and design services.

County Treasurer Jordan Johnson said the architect firm will have to work with the Kentucky Department of Corrections, which adds an unknown time component to approvals and review. Plans would also have to be worked out to complete the project in phases, since the inmates can't be moved from the facility while work is ongoing.

The estimate for JKS to complete the design and approval phase is six-and-a-half months. Once Fiscal Court receives the renovation design, it will bid the project out. Once bids are reviewed, Fiscal Court will determine how it will proceed.

"The jail is a tough decision," Conder said. "It's a hard decision. People don't really see the benefit of it, but it's needed."