New jail could cost $30 million

Cleveland County’s new jail could be a two-story, 85,000-square-foot facility designed to house more than 500 inmates in a series of “pods,” segregation units and holding areas, tentative plans for the structure show.

Those plans — while still far from complete — were reviewed Monday duirng a meeting of the Cleveland County Justice Authority. The county’s three commissioners, George Skinner, Rod Cleveland and Rusty Sullivan, are the authority’s trustees. The authority was created in October to build and operate the jail.

Documents reviewed Monday include designs of three jail “pods” for housing minimum, medium and maximum security inmates, a separate section for juvenile offenders, a medical facility, several padded cells, a unit for segregating inmates and a central booking area.

Cost for the facility could be “in the $30 million range.”

The jail is expected to occupy an eight-acre section of a 28-acre plot of land along Franklin Road and U.S. 177, near the Johnson Controls-York International plant. The county purchased the land earlier this year for $1.2 million.

And while county officials stress the jail’s design is not yet locked down, Sullivan said he believes that design is close to being complete.

“There’s still more to do, but we’re moving right along,” he said. “But I’d like to be putting a shovel in the ground sometime in the spring.”

Designed to house 528 inmates in an 85,330-square-foot area, the jail “makes terrific use” of space and includes state-of-the-art security and video features, Sullivan said. “Our goal is to be cost effective and construct a secure facility. I don’t want to get Buck Rogers and spend all the money in the world on this.”

Current design documents include plans for a 32-bed maximum security unit for male inmates, 112 beds for medium security male inmates and 192 beds for minimum security male inmates. For females, the plans include eight maximum security beds, 32 medium security beds and 48 minimum security beds.

A 27-unit area would allow for the segregation of inmates, while a medical facility would contain six beds. Another 20 beds are set aside for weekend prisoners, and additional 28 beds are earmarked for trustees — 20 for males, and eight females.

The jail’s intake area would house another 15 inmates.

“It’s a very effective use of space,” said Cushing jail consultant Donald Jones. “It also includes state-of-the-art security and video conferencing systems.”

The video system, Jones said, would allow inmates to remain in secure areas and communicate with their attorneys, bondmen or family members.

Sullivan said the video technology would allow law enforcement officials to better control inmates.

“If we’ve got them in control, if we control them in the pod … and an inmate loses his mind, if they are in the pod they are easier to control,” he said.

In addition to its video conferencing system, the jail would include a second-floor mezzanine level, which will allow county law enforcement officials to monitor the jail’s inmate population. Skylights in the building’s pyramid-style roof would provide lighting.

“It’s progressing very well,” said Norman architect Ben Graves. Graves, a partner with the firm Architects in Partnership, who is designing the jail. Earlier this year, Graves said he hoped to have the jail’s plans completed in mid-November.

And though commissioners didn’t make that late fall deadline, Sullivan said he expects the jail’s design to be settled soon. “We’re still working on the food service, administrative and laundry areas,” he said. “But I don’t think it will take that much longer. We’re working hard to get this done.”