Spokane County officials discuss jail capacity, costly repairs at Geiger and options to expand downtown

Spokane County detention officials told commissioners on March 17 that downtown jail population is near recent peaks, the average stay has risen to about 20 days, and aging outlying housing at Geiger would need millions in repairs to remain usable.

The presentation, led by Mike Sparber (detention services presenter), laid out current population counts, classification constraints for moving people to Geiger, and a range of potential capital and operational options — including renovating the annex, adding bunks, reopening wings at Geiger and pursuing a longer-term new jail. Sparberand county staff urged the board to direct further engineering study and continued dialogue with regional partners before committing large sums.

Why it matters: the county is operating two facilities (downtown and Geiger) and faces duplication of services and staffing pressure. Officials said the Geiger site, built in 1952 as an army barracks, is functionally obsolete and would require major work — including an environmental retrofit, boilers and kitchen reconstruction — to be safe and usable for more than a short term. Commissioners and the sheriff raised questions about who would pay, whether private partners could help and how many additional staff would be required to open more capacity.

Sparber said the county’s average length of stay “is 20 days,” up from a more typical 17½–18 days, and attributed the rise to more serious charges and longer dispositions. He described current downtown population peaks and a cluster of felony and B-level charges that limit how many people can be moved to Geiger. He also reviewed past capacity changes (annex beds added historically and later doubling of some cells) and said internal changes had pushed the jail’s theoretical capacity to roughly 790 before applying a 10% classification factor that reduces usable capacity.

On Geiger, staff cited wide-ranging needs and large price estimates. Sparber and others said minimal short-term work to keep Geiger usable for roughly five years might cost on the order of “a few million dollars” (discussed examples in the presentation included $3,000,000 as a possible five-year remediation figure), while more extensive environmental and structural repairs could be tens of millions; an environmental retrofit figure was discussed in the presentation in the tens of millions range. County staff said any investment in Geiger would be limited because the site’s lease and condition constrain long-term use.

Commissioners and staff discussed these near-term choices: 1) invest modestly in Geiger to extend its life for a few years while planning a new facility; 2) prioritize expanding capacity in the downtown footprint (including reusing the annex or renovating other county buildings); or 3) seek temporary off-site solutions such as contract beds or alternative city-run felony beds. Several commissioners said a single, consolidated facility would reduce duplication of medical, kitchen and transport services and ease staffing. Staff cautioned that opening additional Geiger wings would still require recruiting and funding significantly more correctional staff.

County staff also flagged medical and withdrawal-care concerns for people held at remote facilities. Remote supervision and lower on-site medical staffing at Geiger make the county wary of moving people there during the initial post-arrest medical period; staff said most people spend the first four days downtown before transfer.

What county staff recommended: continue work with the A&E firm to get hard numbers on feasible downtown and annex improvements; open a broader dialogue with the Spokane Regional Law & Justice Council (SRLJC) and the county’s municipal consortium about capacity and regional impacts; and return to the board within weeks with more concrete cost and staffing estimates. Sparber said staff would work with the sheriff and other partners if the board wanted to pursue more immediate evaluations or pilot arrangements with municipalities.

The presentation included multiple operational clarifications: the U.S. Marshals and Department of Corrections populations are flexible contract groups the county can reduce or shift to free capacity; work crews and work-release populations have declined and currently supply only a small fraction of the county’s outside crews; and the downtown facility’s design and cell types (dorms, single/double cells) limit how people can be reallocated.

Commissioners asked about alternatives the city might pursue and about possible sites (including a former waste-energy plant parcel) that could reduce commute times compared with Medical Lake/Geiger. Staff said those ideas are being explored but would require separate feasibility work with FAA and other regulators.

County staff stressed that no final capital commitment was requested at the meeting; rather, they sought authorization to continue engineering study and regional conversations so the board would have precise cost, staffing and schedule options before choosing a path.

Looking ahead: staff will return with an updated assessment from the A&E firm, a clearer five‑year remediation cost estimate for Geiger if the board wants only a short-term fix, and a recommended timeline for downtown improvements that could absorb some or all contract populations if Geiger becomes unusable.

Ending: Commissioners directed staff to continue developing options and to brief relevant regional partners; no formal action or vote took place at this meeting.