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Cochise County supervisors discuss keeping new jail at existing Bisbee site amid debate over costs and access

5118252 · July 2, 2025
AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

Cochise County Jail District Board of Directors members met in a July 1 work session in Bisbee to discuss possible locations for a proposed new county jail and directed staff to arrange a public meeting with the option to vote on a site the same night.

Cochise County Jail District Board of Directors members met in a July 1 work session in Bisbee to discuss possible locations for a proposed new county jail and directed staff to arrange a public meeting with the option to vote on a site the same night.

The discussion focused on two top-ranked options from a May 2025 planning study: expanding at the existing Bisbee jail site and a roughly 63-acre parcel off Melody Lane adjacent to the county administrative complex. Project manager Phil Bridal summarized the purpose of the meeting: "The purpose of today's meeting is to provide an opportunity for the board to discuss the possible site location of a new jail," and reviewed the study findings and constraints.

Why it matters: county staff and consultants recommended sites partly on the basis of land ownership, utility availability and estimated site-preparation costs. Using land already owned by Cochise County at the existing Bisbee jail — about 65 acres in two county-owned parcels, staff said — avoids land acquisition and reduces estimated utility and construction costs. By contrast, consultants estimated site utility costs of roughly $2 million for the existing Bisbee location, about $7 million for Sierra Vista (which has been removed from consideration because of a discovered conservation easement), and $14–15 million for…

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