Resident urges Saline County to delay jail demolition and consider transitional resource center model

Ashley Jarvis of Salina told the Saline County Board of Commissioners on June 17 she wants the county to postpone demolition of the former jail and consider renovating the property as a transitional resource center for people in recovery.

Jarvis said she emailed Commissioner Hay a mini-proposal and provided a link to the Kansas City Transitional Resource Center as an example. She described such centers as scaled-down, structured residences that allow residents to leave during the day while reducing recidivism and helping people in recovery transition to independent living.

Jarvis told commissioners she believes renovating the jail could be done in phases rather than as a single multimillion-dollar project. She said she had heard a renovation bid in the $3.5–$4 million range and that phased work and grant opportunities could make reuse feasible.

Jarvis also said Saline County has a robust recovery community and that privately owned sober-living providers supply most local beds. She said one local provider that represents about 70 beds has said it intends to retire and sell soon, which could create a sizeable gap in sober housing capacity. Jarvis offered to help form a coalition or planning group to explore options and asked the commission to consider postponing demolition so the county could evaluate reuse opportunities.

Commission leadership said they would forward Jarvis’s emailed proposal to the county administrator and review it with staff; commissioners made no commitment to a specific course of action at the meeting.