BENTONVILLE -- Benton County has hired an architect firm to design a pair of short-term expansion projects while doing a feasibility study on a larger expansion at the county's jail.
County Judge Bob Clinard has an agreement with Treanor Architects, based in Kansas City, Mo., to do design work on the initial expansion projects and the feasibility study. The county will pay Treanor $94,250.
The initial estimated cost of the two projects is about $1.8 million, Clinard said. Design work is expected to take about four months, and construction work, if approved, will take another seven months, he said.
Capt. Jeremy Guyll, who oversees jail operations for the Benton County sheriff's office, said the two initial expansions are needed now. The larger of the two projects will add about 10,000 square feet for offices, a gymnasium and fitness center, training facilities and other administrative functions. That will allow the sheriff's office to move out of areas originally built to house inmates, freeing up room for another 32 misdemeanor prisoners.
The county made room for a small number of misdemeanor prisoners earlier this year by shifting some of the same administrative and training functions. A staff break room and a storage room were utilized for misdemeanor inmates in that project.
The training and fitness areas are particularly important, Guyll said. The sheriff's office logged more than 52,000 training hours last year, he said.
The second part of the short-term expansion will provide secure holding cells for female prisoners, Guyll said. The jail is holding about 100 female prisoners in barracks-style areas, some of which use three-tier bunks and temporary beds on the floor. Female prisoners who have to be separated for any reason are now kept in cells in the booking area, Guyll said.
The second planned expansion will give the county at least six security cells that could hold up to 12 inmates, he said.
State and federal laws require inmates to be separated according to a number of criteria. Female inmates must be kept separate from male offenders. Sex offenders must also be separated. Misdemeanor offenders must be held separately and felons must be separated according to their pre- or post-trial status.
Benton County typically holds about 200 inmates waiting for space in state prisons. Inmates who present disciplinary or security problems further complicate the process, Guyll said.
The feasibility study will look at current jail space and projected future needs, Clinard said. News that the state may add beds for inmates in state prisons is welcome, but the prospect of relief for Benton County is uncertain, he said.
Metro on 08/06/2015