Officials hope to break ground in June for a 30,000-square-foot expansion of the Douglas County Jail, a project law enforcement officers say is long overdue.
"The jail we're using now was built in 1980," Sheriff Ron Pierini said. "It was designed to be used for only 20 years. Due to the foresight of those people involved in its design, we've been able to go almost a decade past its usefulness."
In addition to an increase in the number of inmates, Pierini said the jail staff deals with custodial issues that have radically changed in the past few decades.
"We need more room for inmates with mental health issues or medical issues," he said. "We need more isolation cells."
Jail Capt. John Milby said the county agreed to build the jail expansion all at once rather than in phases.
"Everybody seems to agree if we can build now, we will save millions," Milby said.
His goal is to have a new jail that is safer, meets the inmates' needs and will serve the county for a long time to come.
Until the project goes out for bid, officials are unsure of the price tag for the jail expansion, funded through county construction funds.
The project " expected to take 12-18 months to build " will allow the county to house twice the number of inmates for the next 20 years.
"In the last few years we've become extremely overpopulated," Pierini said.
If the jail is too crowded, the sheriff's office petitions District Court for the early release of low-level offenders not considered dangerous to the community.
The expansion will double the number of holding and medical cells with two cells dedicated for inmates on suicide watch.
The new design is "podular remote" which allows direct supervision of inmates as opposed to the current linear design with rows of cells.
"Podular remote allows for a much higher level of supervision," Milby said.
Even with an increase in inmates, Milby said the sheriff would only have to add the equivalent of five full-time employees under the new design.
At its current level, five sergeants and 26 deputies staff the jail 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The existing jail has capacity for 96 beds. That includes 72 beds for males, 16 for females, and beds for medical segregation, intake and holding.
"In the 1980s, when the jail was built, 60 to 80 percent of the crimes were being committed at Lake Tahoe. That is completely reversed," Pierini said.
The expansion is working its way through the permit process, having been approved by the Minden Town Board and the Douglas County Planning Commission.
If construction begins in June, officials hope the project will be completed in 18 months.
The expansion was designed by Eissmann-Pence Architecture of Minden.
"They've been very good to us," Milby said. "We have a small amount of space to work with and they have been very diligent."
Pierini credited Milby, Undersheriff Paul Howell and Douglas County Public Works Project Manager Scott McCullough with moving the project forward.
"It's been a real collaborative effort," Milby said.
Milby said deputies who work in the jail are enthusiastic about the expansion.
"Logistically, we're pretty stretched now. We've never even had a locker room for female deputies," Milby said.
He said construction will cause little interruption in the jail until it's time to knock down walls.
"We can live with that," he said.
The expansion will contribute to efforts to maintain national accreditation for the jail.
Another major concern is the jail kitchen which some inmates who have been housed elsewhere claim serves the best food in the state despite its limitation.
"It's not to the standards we have today," Pierini said.
Pierini said meals cost $2.20 per inmate. On a recent day, the staff was preparing a lunch of toasted cheese sandwiches and tomato soup.
"They're not getting steak by any means," Milby said. "We like having a reputation for good food. More than half the people back there are not convicted. They're just suspects and are entitled to all their constitutional rights. Good food is kind of a pacifier.
"We treat our inmates well and they respond as well to us," he said.
