Final vote (really this time) on land purchase for new Monroe County jail, ongoing maintenance costs OK’d
A second and final vote by the Monroe County council on Tuesday night wrapped up the approvals by elected officials that are required for the purchase of some property in North Park as the planned site of the new county jail.
The agreed upon purchase price is $11.375-million.
On Wednesday morning, the day before Thanksgiving, county commissioners approved a total of $36,220 for three separate contracts covering ongoing maintenance for the current jail at 7th Street and College Avenue.
It was a reminder that even if plans unfold as now expected, with new jail construction starting in 2026, prisoners will be housed at the current facility for at least another three Thanksgivings, maybe four.
The land that the councilors agreed to buy amounts to about 52 acres in North Park, off SR46, south of Hunter Valley Road, which is owned by Steve Crider through Logan Land Development. County commissioners gave their approval of the purchase in the third week of October.
The first county council vote came in mid-November, but passed on just a 5–1 tally, which meant it was not unanimous. Dissent came from Marty Hawk. Cheryl Munson was absent.
Because the vote was not unanimous, a second vote at a different meeting was required. On Tuesday, Hawk, Munson, and Peter Iversen were absent, and the land purchase passed on a 4–0 vote. That’s the bare minimum majority on the seven-member council that is needed for any action.
At their regular Wednesday morning meeting, Monroe County commissioners approved three uncontroversial contracts with Harrell-Fish, Inc. for maintenance and upgrades at the jail and the Charlotte Zietlow Justice Center.
A $2,995 agreement is supposed to repair the jail’s dish machine, which includes replacing a failed overflow tube and gaskets. The project also involves installing a drain quenching system to cool water before it reaches the PVC drainpipe, to prevent further damage.
Another contract with HFI, totaling $14,005, will replace the rooftop exhaust system and air intake for the jail kitchen. The work, which will require a crane to remove and install equipment, aims to resolve problems with the failing exhaust fan and housing.
The third HFI contract approved at Wednesday’s meeting was for $19,220— to rework the preheat coil system at the justice center. The work includes replacing failed hot water valves, updating electronic controls, and modifying ducts and dampers to enhance air filtration and heating efficiency.
The items were presented to commissioners (Julie Thomas, Lee Jones, and Penny Githens) by Monroe County’s fleet and building manager Richard Crider.
Asked after Wednesday’s meeting, county attorney Jeff Cockerill confirmed to The B Square that the county’s design-build firm for the jail, DLZ Corporation, has now begun design work that had previously been contingent on the selection of a site. There was a certain amount of preliminary design that could be done even before a site was selected.
Cockerill pointed out that the planned unit development (PUD) zoning for the North Park property would require an amendment, in order for it to be used as a jail. That proposed rezone request is expected to be in front of the county plan commission in January or February next year, Cockerill told The B Square.
Cockerill estimated a ballpark timeline, with bidding of contracts in spring 2026, with construction starting in June 2026, and a 30-month construction period. That would put the completion of the jail somewhere towards the end of 2028.
Based on various unknowns that could cause that timeline to slide, 2028 could still see a Thanksgiving meal served in the current facility.
At last week’s meeting of the county commissioners, Monroe County jail commander Kyle Gibbons gave an update on plans for this year’s holiday themed meal.
Women prisoners were encouraged to reach out to their families to get recipes that they wanted the jail to prepare for the Thanksgiving meal. The idea was to “remind them that there’s things at home for them, remind them there’s some core values that they still hold, even within the facility,” Gibbons said.
After the call went out, Gibbons said, “We got 16 recipes.” He added, “They were pretty heavy on the desserts—I’m not gonna lie.”
Prisoners were asked not only to get the recipes but to write down what that dish means to them. Gibbons read some of the testimonials aloud: “The recipe was given to me by the best grandmother any woman would be lucky to have. I cook it religiously every year. And it takes me back to a time when I spent so much time with her learning to cook.”
