Saline County begins research on converting part of its old jail into a juvenile space

Saline County will further its research on what it might look like to convert part of its old jail building into a juvenile detention center. The move comes as the county navigates future plans for several of its facilities, some of which have reached a dilapidated state and are in need of immediate attention.

The county made a commitment this week to share architectural services costs with North Central Kansas Regional Juvenile Detention in an effort to better understand the feasibility of converting a portion of the jail. The architectural services would identify what kind of price tag would come with such a renovation.

Two months ago, the county's board of commissioners met to discuss at length its vision for its 14 different campuses, or groups of property. Among others, the commission identified the Health Department, old jail facility and downtown buildings as more immediate concerns.

More: Health Department and City-County Building are top priorities for future planning

In the months since, County Administrator Phillip Smith-Hanes prepared next steps as suggested by the commissioners.

"There are still several other things that the commission mentioned as part of your study session back in February that we will continue to pursue, but these are the four items that I felt were the most timely to get a decision and decide whether we want to move forward," Smith-Hanes said.

Here's a look at some ongoing county business regarding its facilities

Converting a portion of the current jail into a juvenile space

Converting the existing jail building into a juvenile facility was the top response from a community survey the county sent out in January. As the new jail nears completion, the county wanted feedback from the community on what it thought should happen to the old jail.

More: Here's what Saline County residents said they want done at the old jail building

Of course, converting the space would inevitably involve investing county funds toward a project of that sort.

In March, Smith-Hanes met with Shawn Brandmahl, Executive Director of the North Central Kansas Regional Juvenile Detention Facility and Geary County Secure Care Center.

Brandmahl's agency operates the juvenile detention center for a 15-county region and also contracts with the state to house children in need of care. Brandmahl said he is interested in exploring a facility in Saline County with the capacity of seven detention beds and 21 secure care beds, along with room for future expansion.

Brandmahl said he feels that his agency will need more detention beds as state policies shift back toward jailing juveniles accused of serious criminal activity, but not include provisions to pay for any related construction costs.

Saline County elected Tuesday to cover half of the cost of retaining an architect to examine the County jail and determine the feasibility and costs of converting it to a juvenile detention center.

The commission discussed how a juvenile facility would not necessarily provide a revenue stream for the county, and most likely go on to be a taxpayer-subsidized service.

"I would hope to think that someday down the road we eliminate this and don't need the jail spaces for juveniles," commissioner Roger Sparks said. "There's a lot of issues, I think, turning that jail into expenses, but... I love to see the direction of what it could be used for. And I think hiring an architect is the right move here."

A preliminary estimate for the county's share of architectural services is estimated at $30,000 to $50,000. This is an expense that was not budgeted for the current year, but Smith-Hanes said he believes funding can be identified within current budget lines.

Potential to lease the county farm for solar development

The county has been approached by developers about creating a solar panel installation on the Hagg Farm.

Commissioners expressed interest in pursuing this idea at its February study session, so county staff followed up with the solar developers. On April 3, one of the interested firms responded that they had prepared a preliminary project layout and would like to meet.

The Hagg Farm has been the site of many projects since it was donated to the county by Oliver Hagg upon his death. In his will, Hagg stated that it was his wish that the land — 1,100 acres of farm ground — is used for conservation and education.

Selling the Health Department Building and finding a new location

Among other county properties, the dilapidated state of the Health Department building at 125 West Elm Street in Salina has become a concern among the county’s board of commissioners. It was a topic that took up about 30 minutes of a two-hour concept discussion in February.

Smith-Hanes met with the realtor representing a building to the south, who said she might have parties interested in purchasing the Health Department site.

Pursuant to K.S.A. 19-211, the Commission would need to unanimously vote to sell the building, publish a notice of sale, and then select the highest and best bid in a public meeting.

On April 25, the commission voted to hold off on selling the building until suitable relocation space can be found.

City of Salina shows interest in County properties

The Salina Police Department is interested in utilizing some the old Sheriff’s office space, outside of what is included in plans for a possible juvenile detention center.

Smith-Hanes said Salina's City Manager Mike Schrage plans to discuss with the City Commission the idea of a joint space study to examine the future of the City-County Building and adjacent downtown properties, including Memorial Hall. The city could also be interested in utilizing storage at the Expo Center.

What are the next steps in Saline County's plan for facility improvements?

Regarding the juvenile space: County staff will work identify funding within the budget to hire an architect, negotiate an agreement with North Central Juvenile Detention to share costs, and return to the Commission for consideration as an official request for action.

Regarding the county farm solar development opportunity: County staff will prepare a report detailing existing farm leases, when they expire, any amendments to zoning codes that would be required, and a process for soliciting bids from developers.

Regarding the Health Department building: The county decided Tuesday to hold off on selling the building until it finds suitable relocation space. At a later date, county staff will return with a draft notice of sale for Commission consideration, potentially including lease-back provisions as a condition of sale. However, based on comments at the April 25 meeting, the majority of the commission did not appear in favor of leasing back the current building upon sale.

Regarding the city's interest in county properties: County staff will include within the 2024 budget funding for a joint study of downtown spaces and negotiate a temporary lease on the Sheriff’s office space effective Jan. 1, 2024 (subject to City Commission feedback).

Kendrick Calfee has been a reporter with the Salina Journal since 2022, primarily covering county government and education. You can reach him at kcalfee@gannett.com or on Twitter @calfee_kc.

This article originally appeared on Salina Journal: Saline county looks into possibility of juvenile center at old jail