POUGHKEEPSIE – Members of the Dutchess County Legislature’s Public Safety Committee received an update on the progress of the new jail, known as the Dutchess County Justice and Transition Center, on Tuesday evening. Bids were received earlier this year and were well below the anticipated costs.
County DPW Commissioner Robert Balkind gave legislators the timeline and estimated cost for the facility that has been debated for several years. As recently as 2016, the legislature authorized spending of up to $192 million for the construction of a new facility to house inmates. The low bid received in August of this year was $111 million for construction costs of the building. An additional $3.17 million is being spent on security controls at the new facility.
Balkind told the lawmakers that the total anticipated cost, including spending $1.25 million on a new roof for the 1995 jail, is just under $154.2 million, which shows an estimated savings of more than $20 million.
In the original plans, the 1995 jail building was going to be used as part of the new facility, but the bail reforms eliminated the need for the older building. Balkind said that the building will be repaired and “mothballed’, although he admitted he did not know what it could be used for based on proximity to the new jail. “It’s a good building worth keeping,” said the commissioner.
Balkind also said that, regardless of the number of beds in the Justice and Transition Center, inmates will be sent to other facilities on occasion. “No matter what we do, we’ll always be housing out inmates,” due to programming needs for certain inmates that are not offered in Dutchess County.
The justice center is employing a project labor agreement (PLA) with one general contractor, The Pike Company, which will then hire all of the sub-contractors that utilize union labor. That means a majority of the construction workforce will be local. Balkind called the PLA “Great. It’s very efficient” for projects of this scope and size.
Legislator Brennan Kearney of Rhinebeck questioned the space available for programming including education, yoga, and other programs for inmates. Balkind said that the current service providers, including the probation department, have reviewed the plans and are satisfied with the available space.
The new housing units and storage building are expected to be constructed by March of 2023 and occupied in June of that year after state approval. Balkind estimates that the entire project, right down to final landscaping, will be completed by May of 2024.
