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Commissioners hear six jail‑expansion options; costs range from about $76M to $174M
Summary
Consultants presented six alternatives for expanding the county jail, including single‑story additions and multi‑floor 'tower' options; projected costs range roughly $76 million to $174 million, and HDR estimated single‑phase build times of three to four years.
Consultants from HDR presented six alternatives and cost estimates for a possible expansion of the Comal County jail during the court's Jan. 15 workshop. HDR described lower‑scale options that would add capacity through the mid‑2030s and larger, multi‑floor tower options that HDR estimated would be serviceable into the 2040s.
"So what you're looking at here is option 1, 2A and 2B... Option 1 was the original proposed design... a 274 bed addition... giving a total cost for the project, 76,000,000.2," the HDR presenter said while walking through cost breakdowns including architectural fees, soft costs and construction costs. The HDR team also described a full build‑out option that would increase capacity to more than 1,100 beds and "would trigger the kitchen and the laundry to be expanded," which the presenter estimated at about $162,100,000 for that option.
Commissioners followed the presentation with technical and operational questions. The county judge asked whether a stacked/tower layout would change how the sheriff supervises inmates; HDR said the mezzanine and elevated staff positions would remain in place and the supervision model would not change substantially. HDR also confirmed that tower options require expanded mechanical, electrical and food‑service capacity.
Commissioners discussed expandability and taxpayer implications. One commissioner described the largest option as producing an "huge population"—potentially approaching 1,800 inmates if multiple towers were added—and urged caution about planning far‑out capital investments without additional operational and financial study. HDR recommended further study of processing, administration, parking and kitchen/laundry impacts and said those items would be included in the final report.
The presentation was informational only; no action was taken. HDR said it will finalize the feasibility report after the meeting and return recommendations and a final cost schedule to the commissioner's court for formal consideration.
