Codington County approves exploratory jail study
The Codington County Board of Commissioners took its first steps Tuesday toward exploring a new detention center.
The commissioners passed a motion to hire national jail consultant Bill Garnos, a Watertown native, to determine jail population trends for the county. Garnos’ study will cost $4,760.
The ensuing motion hired Tegra Group of St. Louis Park, MN as a construction consultant/county representative for the pre-design phase and potential subsequent phases if voters would approve a new jail for the county. The initial cost to the county is $19,880. If a vote is approved Tegra will receive 3% of a new jail’s total cost.
Both expenditures are from the $70,000 the county budgeted in 2024 for exploration of a new jail.
More: County Commission seeking designs and potential costs for new jail
Proposals to fund a new facility that would have included a jail and courtroom were defeated in 2014 and 2017. Renovating the courthouse in 2019 provided an additional courtroom.
Nate Pearson of Tegra Group answered a few commissioners’ questions. He said his company handles 15-25 projects a year with one-third involving South Dakota clients.
The Codington County Justice Advisory Committee, in consultation with Tegra, will review the six pre-design submissions from architectural firms. The committee will then recommend one design to the commissioners.
Both motions passed unanimously but only after an unusually long wait for a second to each motion. Commissioner Lee Gabel put forth the motion to hire Garnos, and after Chairman Randall Schweer asked for a second there was a 12-second silence before Commissioner Myron Johnson provided the second. The process was repeated on the vote to hire Tegra.
“It still frustrates me that we give this individual (Garnos) in the neighborhood $5,000 for work you’ve already done,” said Johnson, referring to 2023 jail statistics Sheriff Brad Howell and Chief Corrections Officer Matt Blackwelder had supplied earlier in the meeting.
“We’re able to track history. We don’t have the expertise to project it,” replied Gabel, referring to the need to have Garnos’ projections for the correct sized jail.
Howell agreed with Gabel.
“I think this data could be good thing whether you’re looking at a jail or not,” said the sheriff. “Just for future planning and future projecting for what we do in our facility. It is due diligence whether we’re looking at a new jail facility or not.”
Both Howell and Blackwelder are concerned over an increase in violence against staff and prisoners at the jail in 2023. Blackwelder said the jail’s design, now 50 years old, makes it more difficult to monitor inmates when compared to newer facilities.
According to Blackwelder, the checking of inmates every 15 minutes requires each staff member to take 20,000 steps a day. He is fully confident in his staff’s ability, saying 90% have had crisis training.
Earlier in the meeting the commissioners approved advertising and the eventual hiring of two more correctional officers for the jail. The additions, part of the 2024 budget, will assure that three officers are on duty at all times. Previously only two may have been working due to scheduled time off or illness.
Commissioner Troy VanDusen did not attend the meeting. The director of the Watertown 911 Center was in Pierre testifying on a bill to raise the 911 fee for telephone users from $1.25 to $2.
In other actions during the 90-minute meeting, the commissioners:
Approved workers compensation insurance for volunteer weather spotters and volunteer members of Codington County Search Rescue.
Approved members to the Local Emergency Planning Committee.
Declared a pontoon boat, motor and trailer as surplus for the purpose of being traded for new equipment.
Approved a grant application for Homeland Security funds.
Approved a payment of $16,188 for a new file server and network switches purchased from Connecting Point of Watertown. The cost will be shared among the Sheriff’s Office, the Detention Center and Emergency Management.
Approved declaring a Wrangler floor scrubber as surplus to be traded for a new model.
Approved declaring as surplus for the purpose of destruction four Hewlett Packard computers, a DR grass trimmer with attachment, a Wrangler floor scrubber and a Fisher Trim-Rite sidewalk edger.
Approved the 2024 wage scale for all county employees.
The commission also heard from Todd Kays, executive director of the First District Association of Local Governments, which provides services to counties throughout the state. Kays reviewed First District’s history, funding sources and values to the 11 northeast counties it serves.
— J.T. Fey is a freelance reporter for the Watertown Public Opinion.
This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: Codington County takes first step towards building new jail
