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Commissioners agree to proceed with detention‑center renovation; HVAC, phasing and expansion remain open
Summary
The board directed staff to retain the Fiscal Year 2015 renovation project for the county detention center and to proceed with construction on the current scope, while leaving future planning for a new or expanded facility to the FY2016 process.
St. Mary's County commissioners on Jan. 26 directed staff to retain and proceed with the ongoing detention‑center renovation project rather than delay work while the county revisits a new‑facility option.
Staff told the board the FY2015 budget included roughly $5.5 million for renovation work and that the total project, including later phases, had been estimated at just under $9.5 million. Commissioners and the sheriff’s office described urgent operational issues — failing HVAC systems, a health‑department concern with the kitchen floor, security door and camera upgrades — that staff said should not be deferred because the risk of system failures and litigation increases with delay.
A central point in the discussion was the HVAC work. Staff and jail officials said installing HVAC in prisoner housing would be invasive, require relocating inmates during construction and add operating expenses for placements elsewhere. Staff estimated roughly $1.0 million of incremental housing costs per three months of relocation; a six‑month scenario was discussed at about $2.0 million in one‑time operating impact in addition to capital costs. The A&E (architecture and engineering) design was at approximately 30 percent; staff said they will return with a phasing plan from the A&E team showing how pods could be taken offline and renovated sequentially.
Commissioners and the sheriff also discussed whether to pursue a new facility or an expansion using state funding; staff said prior designs could not be reused and that state funding processes can take several years. The sheriff and jail command urged that HVAC and other critical security upgrades proceed because of inmate health needs and officer safety. Several commissioners said they support pursuing master planning for a long‑term solution but did not want to pause critical renovation work now.
The board’s direction was to retain the renovation project at its current scope and proceed with construction; at the same time staff will not include a new jail in the FY2016 draft budget and will continue planning work and revisit new‑facility options as part of future budget submissions.
