FIRM WILL EXAMINE PLANS TO EXPAND CAPE COUNTY JAIL

JACKSON -- An architectural firm specializing in jail construction will take a look at Cape Girardeau County's plans for an addition to the jail.

The County Commission gave its OK this week to a feasibility study by Lawrence Goldberg Architects of St. Joseph. The study will cost $2,750 plus travel expenses.

The firm specializes in details of what a jail needs to operate in addition to designing cells, said Sheriff John Jordan.

For example, architects will look at the higher manpower and operation costs that an addition will mean. They will also draft preliminary schematics, floor plans and site plans. The study also includes construction cost projections, funding options and projections for future growth.

Calculating staffing and operations costs is something only a specialized firm can offer, said the sheriff.

"They have a lot of knowledge," Jordan said. "They have seen a lot of errors across the country. We want to make sure we don't make the same mistakes here."

The architectural firm hasn't been awarded bids or assured of anything past the study. Jordan said the jail committee wants local architects to be involved in the construction phase.

Jordan is hopeful that, with the study complete, construction on the addition will start this fall.

Tentative plans call for two new cell blocks with 24 cells each. Two prisoners would be housed in each cell.

That would mean 96 additional beds, more than doubling the current maximum capacity from 80 to 176.

The jail was built in 1979 and had a maximum capacity of 64 inmates. Last fall bunk beds were added in the dormitory to create room for more prisoners.

Jordan said the jail population has exploded in the last couple of years. Felons account for most of the growth, he said.

The county jail has experienced about a 60 percent growth in population. Just two or three years ago, the average daily census was in the 40s. Today the average daily number hovers closer to 90.

In September, the county landed a $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Marshal's Service for the jail project. However, the expansion will still require a significant financial commitment -- likely in the millions of dollars -- from the county.

Exactly how much the project will cost is as yet unknown. But county commissioners aren't planning to ask taxpayers for help.

Eventually, Jordan said, the jail will pay for itself and could even become a profitable venture for the county.

The Marshal's Service, for example, is offering construction grants because jail space is in high demand. The state of Missouri is sending inmates to facilities in Texas because of overcrowding.

Jordan said some counties in the state can fund major portions of county operations through revenues generated by housing prisoners.

"All the advice we get is `bigger is better,'" he said.