Officials outline scope, $889 million budget and timeline for proposed justice center

County officials presented a detailed update on a proposed new justice center that would replace parts of the existing justice complex and centralize sheriff administration, housing and support services.

At a Garrett County Public Safety and Justice Affairs Committee meeting, the project presenter, Mr. Applebaum, said the main campus building will be about 852,000 square feet, with a separate 20,000-square-foot professional development center. He described a configuration of 52 housing units and a rated capacity of 1,886 beds, and said the facility is designed to be expandable (the core facilities could support up to 2,400 beds in future expansions).

"The total development budget is $889,000,000 for this project," Mr. Applebaum said, adding that roughly $785 million of that total is expected to be controlled by the design–builder as the guaranteed maximum price (GMP) portion of the budget. He said the figure excludes land acquisition costs and includes contingency, furniture/fixtures/equipment and projected escalation over the next five years.

Why it matters: County leaders said the design aims to reduce operating inefficiencies in the current jail, reduce inmate movement by bringing services to housing units, and expand on-site programming to lower recidivism. Officials emphasized delivering programming directly to housing units — for example, placing GED or counseling spaces on each unit so residents do not need to be escorted to a central classroom.

Design, team and site: The project team includes a criteria architect led by HOK, the owner's representative PMC, and a design–builder consortium named Cuyahoga County Justice Partners led by Gilbane Building Company. Officials said the project used a design–build delivery method that the county has used on prior large projects.

The presenter described reuse of an existing unfinished retail structure on the site — previously built for an Aldi — as the professional development center to save cost and provide off-hours training space for the sheriff and partner agencies.

Programming and services: The design includes medical exam and medication-distribution spaces adjacent to housing units, noncontact face-to-face visitation areas, multipurpose rooms for counseling and reentry services, and a Behavioral Care Center (BCC) with approximately 60 beds to serve people with acute behavioral-health needs inside the secure footprint.

Budget and schedule: Mr. Applebaum said schematic design will be completed in April, the design–builder is expected to provide a comprehensive GMP proposal in December, and the county plans to present a bond resolution to council in September. He said early construction packages (temporary fencing, early foundation work) are intended to start this year and can be funded from previously appropriated early-works funds; officials cited a $30 million appropriation available for early packages.

Questions and next steps: Council members asked about operational costs of expanded programming, food-service logistics (one jail kitchen will prepare meals delivered to housing units and a separate staff cafeteria/break areas will be provided), site constraints on steep slopes, and sustainability options such as parking-area solar arrays and a geothermal feasibility study. Officials said final operational-cost estimates are not yet complete and will be returned to council as part of subsequent briefing packages.

The committee asked that schematic-design materials be provided to members the Friday before the April committee meeting so members have time to review in advance. The chair said the committee will receive a fuller presentation in April.