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| New jail's cost rises to $31.5 million |
| By The Olympian |
| Published: 06/29/2006 |
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TUMWATER, WA - The cost of a proposed satellite jail has ballooned to an estimated $31.5 million, but county officials say there should be enough sales-tax revenue to cover the higher cost. County officials plan to open the 256-bed Accountability and Restitution Center in three years to relieve inmate crowding at the existing jail. The center would be built on 27 acres the county owns at Mottman Industrial Park in Tumwater. The county had projected the center would cost $25 million with enough sales-tax revenue coming in to pay the debt on bonds that will be issued to pay for construction. In 1995, county voters approved a measure to impose a sales tax of one-tenth of 1 percent for the construction and operation of jails and juvenile detention centers. The county has used the revenue to construct and help operate the juvenile justice center. It raised the estimated cost of the project based on inflation and the soaring price of construction materials. The decision to construct 64 cells for medium- and maximum-security inmates was a "major factor" in increasing the cost, Chief Administrative Officer Don Krupp told The Olympian's editorial board Wednesday. But growth in population and retail sales wi ll generate enough revenue to cover the higher costs, he said. "This isn't going to get any less expensive to build," Krupp said. The county committed to build the center after voters rejected by nearly a 2-to-1-margin a measure in May 2004 that would have raised property taxes to help pay for a $102.7 million regional justice center. That project involved building a 640-bed jail and four nonjury courtrooms in Tumwater and remodeling t he county's existing courts in Olympia. The $25 million estimate for the proposed center was arrived at in the summer of 2004, Krupp said. A key function of the center, in addition to easing crowding, is assessing inmates for potential safety risks to other inmates, themselves, corrections staff and the community. The first 24 hours is key, Chief Corrections Deputy Karen Daniels said, because the majority of inmates who come in are under the influence of drugs, alcohol or other substances. "It's sort of our puzzle to sort out," she said. |
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