County funds design work for proposed new jail site; staff expects site-testing report in May

The Lorain County Board of Commissioners on March 20 authorized funds into the county’s construction budget to pay for design-phase work on a proposed new jail site, including engineering and architectural services and subsurface testing.

Why it matters: staff said the design and site testing will determine whether the county can build the replacement jail behind the existing facility and ensure foundations will be properly sized and sited. The outcome could affect whether the county places a countywide jail proposal on the ballot later this year.

County staff described the work as a design-phase and site-evaluation effort by consultant DLZ. A county official summarized the near-term work: “4 to 6 weeks for this phase of it. They’re gonna do soil borings to determine, you know, how big foundations need to be in order to support the building,” and to check for subsurface constraints such as an “underwater stream.” The county administrator and DLZ staff met with jail staff to confirm program needs and field conditions.

Officials said the design-phase appropriation will pay for professional services necessary to complete compaction and borings and to confirm whether the preferred site behind the existing jail is suitable. Staff estimated a formal report back to the commissioners in May, with public presentations to follow so the board can discuss funding and possible placement on the November ballot if the process proceeds.

Ending: Staff directed DLZ to proceed with testing and report findings to the commissioners in May; next steps will depend on the test results and any required further approvals.