Jailhouse Math
As grant application deadline approaches, County mulls new construction v. refurbishment of existing facility
Mono County Supervisors were given an update on the Mono County Jail by Public Works on Tuesday, January 17. The county could receive up to $25 million to construct a new jail, but the application deadline is rapidly approaching.
Supervisors were presented with two options at its January 3 meeting; (1) construct a new jail with add-on facilities like a community health clinic, which comes with a price tag of approximately $25 million, or, (2) refurbish the existing jail with a new annex for approximately $6 million. The annex option has since fallen through because the current tenant on the property, Frontier Communications, does not wish to sell.
Both options would have satisfied the requirements for grant funding through Senate Bill 844. The purpose of Governor Jerry Brown’s bill is to assure inmates have access to medical, dental and mental health care and the facility would have to have a programming space to hold 12-step meetings or GED classes.
The grants would cover the bulk of the costs, through reimbursement, once construction begins. The County cost for the annex would be between $200,000-$500,000. The County would shell out approximately $2 million for a new jail.
The $2 million number for the new jail has been thrown around haphazardly, according to CAO Leslie Chapman. No one is sure exactly how much Mono County will contribute, she told supervisors. The County is busy estimating its costs and filling out an additional application for a small county waiver, that would allow for a 5 to 10 percent match, that would cover many out-of-pocket expenses.
Chapman said the County will not know if it is eligible for the waiver without submitting the application for the funding. She added that the even if granted the funding, the County is not committed to the project. If it’s too expensive, it can still back out.
