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Department of Corrections seeks multimillion‑dollar upgrades, including $58.8M HVAC replacement at High Desert State Prison; public and family callers pressed
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Summary
The governor’s CIP includes major Department of Corrections projects: a $58.8 million evaporative cooling replacement at High Desert State Prison, multiple recreational enclosure replacements statewide and a planning request for a new culinary/bakery/laundry building at the Northern Nevada Corrections Center.
The Department of Corrections presented multiple capital and maintenance requests, highlighted by a $58.8 million evaporative cooling replacement at High Desert State Prison and a bundle of maintenance projects intended to address ongoing safety and habitability concerns.
Key correctional projects: Administrator Will Lewis and NDOC Director James Zarenda described three enclosure‑type projects to build or replace secured recreational yards: C10 (Ely State Prison, $2.8M), C11 (High Desert State Prison, replace 40 recreational enclosures, $6.1M) and C19 (Lovelock Correctional Center, replace 28 enclosures, $5.7M). Public works said those enclosures are security‑grade and intended to replace earlier in‑house fencing that staff described as tamper‑prone.
High Desert HVAC replacement: The subcommittees heard detailed testimony on project MO6, the evaporative cooler replacement for Housing Units 1–12 at High Desert State Prison. Public works characterized the existing mechanical equipment as beyond its service life and proposed rooftop evaporative cooling replacement and exhaust fans with a total requested budget of $58,800,000, state‑funded. NDOC officials and family advocates described extreme summer heat conditions and urged the committee to fund the project; several family members and advocacy organizations gave public testimony requesting NDOC’s funding needs be met to avoid life‑threatening temperatures.
Additional NDOC projects: The recommended CIP also includes maintenance pooled projects (M04) across NDOC sites — $35.7M of smaller maintenance projects including evaporative cooler replacements, surveillance cameras, boiler replacements, generator repairs and underground fuel tank replacement — and a larger maintenance request (MO6 portfolio totaling $138.4M) with additional priority projects such as door lock and control replacements at multiple prisons and a $10.8M culinary renovation at Lovelock.
NNCC planning project: The Northern Nevada Corrections Center advanced planning item (P01) requests $2.5M to design a 44,000‑square‑foot culinary, bakery and laundry building. Committee discussion clarified construction cost estimates: $25.6M in construction costs, with escalation and professional services bringing the fully escalated project estimate to approximately $41.8M.
Security and safety rationale: NDOC Director James Zarenda described incidents where cheap, in‑house fencing could be breached and said the new expanded‑steel enclosures are intended to be tamper‑resistant and to improve programming and supervised recreation. Lawmakers asked about sequencing, contingency plans for equipment failure during summer months, and whether officers would be used for construction security (NDOC said such staff would be overtime assignments for security, not construction labor).
Public comment: Multiple callers and attendees urged funding for NDOC projects. Family members and advocacy groups described extreme heat at High Desert and Ely, requested yard access and kitchen/cooking equipment repairs, and argued the projects were matters of humane treatment rather than luxury.
Outlook: Public works and NDOC said projects are ready for legislative consideration and emphasized the severity of facility needs; lawmakers requested more detail in follow‑up and the Governor’s Finance Office and public works offered to provide additional cost clarifications where needed.
