02-18-2003 - Laserfiche WebLink

Cass County Meeting 2-18-03 r- I began following the discussion on the jail & sheriff's residence about a year ago. At that time I was contemplating running for County Commissioner and began to take a keener interest in county issues. At that time most of the news concerned the progress of the new jail under construction. As spring came, however, the focus of discussion became more and more directed toward the old jail and sheriff's residence. As I followed this process through the papers and by attending a few commission meetings, I began to see that this was going to be a very difficult decision. In the simplest form, what I saw was the County Commissioners making logical decisions based upon their objective of meeting the county's future growth needs by acting with fiscal responsibility. On the other side, I saw concerned citizens who were nobly defending the position that there is a much deeper value to structures such as the old jail and sheriff's house than the Commission was willing to accept. This value is not determined in dollars and cents but rather in the value of historic preservation - the remembrance of days gone by. Both sides had there points and throughout the summer and early fall, I could see that neither side was going to back down. "" This was the extent of my knowledge prior to being elected in November of last year. Since that time, I have become quite a bit more knowledgeable about the history of the County Courthouse, the jail, and the sheriff's residence. I have become more knowledgeable about their current condition and the financial details of the various options which the Commission has been studying. I have heard from preservationists, judges, the sheriff, county officials, county commissioners, architects, and other county citizens. So let me share with you my analysis of the situation and where I stand concerning all of this. First, there is the financial side of things. A preliminary (and I stress preliminary) assessment of future space needs was started September 6, 2000, and culminated in a report from Foss & Associates, March, 2001. This was necessary to project, at a minimum, what the next county expansion effort might be. This assessment process identified the need for a campus mechanical facility, secure sally port & holding cells for prisoners, a new information services hub to move equipment out of the courthouse basement, skyway to the Annex, and most importantly, additional courtroom and court administrative space. The architect then took this information and did some preliminary work to see how a such a new facility might fit on the existing courthouse campus. Foss also studied the option of using both the existing jail and sheriff's residence for meeting future needs. Foss also studied the option of using only the jail for meeting future needs. The conclusion? After analyzing each of these alternatives, it was indisputable that the most economical plan was the one calling for a totally new building to be constructed where the old jail and sheriff's residence now stand. A figure of a million or more dollars was the estimated difference. ~