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New jail design to be completed

Legislators split over how to proceed

Dan Hust - Staff Writer
Posted 7/22/14

MONTICELLO — The potential cost of a new jail resulted in not one but three split votes on Thursday.

Each dealt with allowing LaBella Associates to finish design work, and each had the same …

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New jail design to be completed

Legislators split over how to proceed

Posted

MONTICELLO — The potential cost of a new jail resulted in not one but three split votes on Thursday.

Each dealt with allowing LaBella Associates to finish design work, and each had the same 5-4 split.

The work, which includes investigating the feasibility of geothermal and solar energy systems at the jail, may ultimately cost the county close to half a million dollars more than the original $7.39 million contract with LaBella (not all of which has been expended yet).

In favor were Scott Samuelson, Kathy LaBuda, Jonathan Rouis, Ira Steingart and Alan Sorensen - just enough to pass all three resolutions.

Against were Cindy Gieger, Cora Edwards, Gene Benson and Kitty Vetter.

Gieger reiterated her concerns about paying for a jail currently estimated to cost more than $60 million, while Edwards said she supports building a new jail but wants more clarity on bed numbers, especially if the jail expands after being built.

Vetter read that a temporary housing pod at a jail elsewhere in the U.S. was built for $6 million, leading her to question the much larger costs for a permanent jail, while Benson continues to desire an investigation into using the former, now-closed Sullivan Correctional Facility Annex in Fallsburg.

But LaBuda pointed out that the longer the county waits, the more danger it courts from the NYS Commission on Correction, which has the power to shut down the existing century-old jail, which she again likened to a “dungeon.”

And if the current jail closes without a new one in place, more than 100 county employees may lose their jobs, she added.

“It's costing us more money to maintain the existing jail than build a new jail,” LaBuda said.

Treasurer Ira Cohen felt the county should not owe LaBella any more money to complete the designs, but Sorensen disagreed, saying the extra fee anticipates all the “unknowns” remaining in the finalization process.

So in the next eight months, LaBella and county officials will hash out reducing the square footage of the proposed jail further, whether to go with metal or concrete construction, and otherwise get the plan to a point where a firm cost can be estimated for bidding purposes.

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