Salina, Saline County space study recommends demolishing old jail, relocating health department and long-term reuse of Memorial Hall

Salina city and Saline County officials and consultants presented a joint space-study report Feb. 10 that recommends demolishing the county’s old jail, relocating the county health department, and pursuing a long-term reuse of Memorial Hall as a combined city–county administrative center while converting the existing City-County Building into a judicial center.

The presentation — led by project staff and consultants — was framed as the start of a multi-year discussion, not a request for immediate votes. “We’re not expecting anybody to make any decisions today,” a project presenter said, noting the study is intended to inform future commission choices and budget planning.

Consultants and staff said the study packages six large changes and many supporting recommendations around parking, street access and parcel swaps. The county has cash on hand to fund demolition of the old jail, the report said, and the county’s financial adviser and bond counsel assessed options to finance relocation of the health department; depending on the scenario the annual debt service at current interest rates would range from about $500,000 to $1 million if financed for 10–20 years. The presenter said that equates roughly to “about 1 mill, give or take.”

Why it matters: the study links short-term fixes for the police department and court functions with long-term strategic goals for downtown. Officials said police evidence storage and some detective office space are currently inadequate; staff plan to bring a lower-cost internal renovation proposal to the city commission within about a month that would address roughly 70% of police space needs, but additional space will ultimately be required.

Key recommendations and timeline - Knock down the old jail: County staff and consultants recommended demolition of the former jail as an early action; the county reported it has cash on hand to cover demolition costs and an item to sever electrical connections to the jail is scheduled on the county commission agenda the following day. - Relocate the county health department: The study presents options to build new on the old jail site, buy and renovate an existing building, or pursue other land solutions. Financing scenarios place the annual payment at roughly $500,000–$1,000,000 depending on term and cost assumptions. - Reuse Memorial Hall and reconfigure campus: If no private developer commits to rehabilitate Memorial Hall, the study recommends reusing it as the joint city–county administrative building and converting the existing City-County Building into a judicial center. The report’s high-level order-of-magnitude estimate for the full master plan work on Memorial Hall is in the $50 million–$60 million range. - Staged moves: Consultants outlined a phased approach: demolish the jail this year; relocate the health department over the next several years; move many administrative functions to Memorial Hall in roughly six to 10 years, timed in part to coincide with earlier-than-expected payoff of jail bonds.

Funding context and constraints Project staff pointed to a half-cent local sales tax that supports jail bond repayment and noted the bonds were financed through 2043 but are running ahead of schedule; current sales tax receipts could allow the jail bonds to be paid off by about 2034, freeing capacity for new debt service. Staff emphasized the financing scenarios assume a range of cost and term options and that any sales-tax supported proposal would require voter approval.

Options evaluated and rejected The study examined multiple "easy-button" reuse options for the old jail and other surplus sites — including conversion to a juvenile facility, general office space, a homeless shelter, a food hall and market-style uses — and found most were not cost effective or faced operational or neighborhood constraints. A senior-housing option could be financially viable under three conditions identified in the study: the county clears the site, the health department relocates, and a private developer steps forward.

Memorial Hall condition and phasing Consultants and city facilities staff said Memorial Hall remains structurally sound in many respects but needs significant work: the building’s boiler has been decommissioned (so the facility currently lacks heat), electricity remains connected, and portions of the roof have variable ages (south lower portion replaced about 18 months ago; upper TPO roofing roughly 15 years old). The study’s consultants noted that partial, phased rehabilitation is possible, but steps to occupy any portion will trigger life-safety, ADA and fire-protection upgrades that can add cost.

Police department needs Staff said the police department faces immediate space constraints around evidence storage and detective offices. A near-term internal project to move evidence storage into the municipal court basement and perform interior work using city crews is expected to be less costly than the study’s larger capital items; staff said that will address many current needs but not all long-term requirements without additional space freed by future moves.

Consultants and next steps The study team invited further review by the Salina City Commission, the Saline County Board of Commissioners and the Saline County Building Authority. Consultants Jeff Lane of Trainer HL and Cody Parrott of Olson Studios attended the session and answered questions. Staff said they will return the study to each governing body for more detailed discussion and possible adoption, and that demolition bidding for the old jail could move later in the year if commissions direct staff to proceed.

No formal decisions were made at the meeting; commissioners asked multiple clarifying questions about cost, timing, ownership and parking. A county agenda item to sever electrical connections to the old jail is scheduled the next morning; staff said that is a prerequisite to demolition and could shorten or lengthen the demolition timeline depending on the commission’s action.

Votes and formal actions The session was a presentation and question-and-answer forum; the only formal motion recorded in the transcript was to adjourn at the session’s end.