Jail expansion project in limbo; overcrowding tag removed

Officials from the Presque Isle County jail were able to rescind an overcrowding emergency March 10 when the inmate population reached 90 percent of the design capacity. The jail, which has a capacity of 23, had been operating under a declared overcrowding emergency for nearly two months. Sheriff Terry Flewelling officially declared the emergency January 29. According to jail administrator Bob Paschke, the jail population had reached an uncomfortable level of 28 several times during the overcrowding, where inmates were walking over each other, and in certain situations, have had to sleep on the floor. The fluctuating numbers at the jail are not making the decision about a jail expansion any easier for members of the Presque Isle County Board of Commissioners, who would like to bring the issue before the voters, but the earliest that could happen now would be August. Any wording for proposals to appear on the May ballot needed to be in by March 3. The next deadline for a ballot proposal would be May.

JAIL OVERCROWDING early last year prompted discussions by the board of commissioners about a possible expansion. They asked jail officials to come up with proposals. An original estimate of more than $1.2 million by Harrison/Landmark ended up getting cut in half when the scope of the project was changed. DeVere Construction returned a project estimate of about $513,000 in early January. That estimate included the remodeling of the building to construct a 10-bed dorm in the activity area, between the jail and the courthouse building, and the remodeling of the existing holding/infirmary area into a new holding and detox area. A third portion of the project would include installation of an $82,412 heating system. According to public health and safety committee chairman Mike Darga, the current heating system, which was installed during the original construction of the building in 1974, is only 60 percent efficient. Paschke said the heating bill in February was $4,000, while last November it was $5,000. Sheriff Terry Flewelling said ?Eventually we are going to need additional beds.? He said the overcrowding problem is a ?trend everywhere, it is sad to say.?

PART OF THE problem, he said, is the number of women inmates. He said 20 years ago it would be r

are if there was one woman being held in the jail. As of Tuesday there was two, but it has been as high as five. Because the women and men have to be separated, ?one woman would tie up a whole cell, and there is a lot more work for corrections officers,? Flewelling said. The expansion proposal would increase the rated jail capacity to 33 cells. At a January meeting of the county board and the other serving members of the public health and safety committee, Bob Schell said he was uncomfortable in going any further than coming up with the proposal and now would like the decision to be left in the hands of the voters.

A public health and safety committee meeting was scheduled for today, but Paschke said he was unaware if the issue was going to be discussed. With no wording proposal being submitted before the March 3 deadline, it leaves the project in limbo, at least for a few more months.