Goodhue County consultants outline $10.4M in immediate repairs for justice complex

Consultants presented a facilities assessment and master‑planning framework for Goodhue County’s Law Enforcement Center (LEC), Adult Detention Center (ADC) and Justice Center, describing immediate, intermediate and long‑term repair priorities and preliminary cost estimates.

Danielle Reed of Klein McCarthy Architects said the team toured each facility with county staff to document current conditions and departmental needs. "The facility, was designed in 1997, and construction was completed in 2000," Reed said, noting the campus totals just over 170,000 square feet and that continuous jail operations accelerate wear on systems.

Reed and Pete Filippi of Contegrity Group identified recurring exterior and interior problems including mortar deterioration that needs tuckpointing, failing garage slab drainage with salt buildup, and a sally port overhead door that is "not big enough for emergency services. So an ambulance, can't come through the building," Reed said. In the jail housing, they recommended replacing rusting shower frames and installing stainless anti‑ligature fixtures to improve safety and reduce liability.

On mechanical and life‑safety systems, consultants flagged aging isolation valves and piping, an outdated building‑automation system and pneumatic fire/smoke damper controls that they recommended converting to motorized/electric controllers to avoid operational shutdowns if air compressors fail.

Filippi described the cost framework and assumptions, citing industry escalation after COVID and a construction‑cost baseline roughly in the 4–4.5% annual range. "We came up with 10,400,000.0 in the 0 to 4 year range," Filippi said, and reported about $9.2 million for intermediate (5–10 year) items after applying an inflation factor. He framed the totals as planning tools that can be phased or adjusted through the county capital plan.

Consultants recommended grouping projects where feasible to reduce disruption and achieve economies of scale — for example, repairing plumbing and finishes in a single cell‑block outage rather than staggering separate interventions. They also suggested some work can be completed in‑house if maintenance budgets and staff capacity are increased.

Board members asked follow‑up questions about practical fixes and timing. In response to a question about salt‑related slab deterioration, Filippi recommended increasing floor pitch, epoxy floor coatings up walls and periodic pressure washing and resealing. On roofing, Filippi said replacement timing depends on roof type and warranty conditions and should be decided case by case.

The assessment will be coordinated with the county’s capital plan and presented at an upcoming budget workshop to identify which items are already funded and where sequencing or reallocation may be appropriate. The public portion of the meeting concluded and the Committee paused for a five‑minute break before moving to a closed session discussion.

Sources: Presentation by Klein McCarthy Architects and Contegrity Group to the Goodhue County Committee of the Whole during the facilities assessment briefing.