County Jail Advisory Board votes to halt plan for new jail until commissioners can secure funding

ELYRIA — The Lorain County Jail Advisory Board has voted to halt plans to replace the aging county jail in Elyria until county commissioners can find a way to pay for the project. The board met briefly and voted unanimously Tuesday to rescind its June 22 vote to move forward with the chosen design, a 540-bed, 160,000-square-foot plan projected to cost $142.6 million, until the funding can be found. Tuesday's vote doesn't change the fact "that we all agree we need a new jail," said board member Tom Orlando, the elected Common Pleas clerk of courts. "It's just at this time, the board of commissioners is not moving forward with the funding." Commissioner Jeff Riddell said the 540-bed jail concept remains as a possible replacement for the current facility and won't have to be voted on again. None of the work done by the architects, designers, construction managers or consultants the county paid about $4 million for will be lost. County Prosecutor Tony Cillo said the renderings and designs they helped create belong to the county now. "That's been bought and paid for," he said. Plans were to get the project funded through a sales tax increase that would expire, or "sunset," once it raised enough money. With an eye on local and statewide taxpayer revolt, commissioners decided not to put a 0.25 percent sales tax increase on the November ballot. They voted down that possibility in July, but haven't ruled out trying again next year. Every year that the jail isn't built, the cost of construction and construction materials is likely to rise $4 million to $5 million and state requirements are likely to change, county officials said. The cost also could fall as tariffs on foreign trade end, Cillo said. County officials have said a new jail is needed as the county's population increases, more and more inmates with mental health and addiction issues need housing and the current building ages beyond repair. The existing jail was built in the 1970s and renovated in the 1990s. It would need millions of dollars in repairs simply to continue to stay open until a new one can be built, Hall said. That includes a new roof in places where the underlying decking also needs replaced, and millions in repairs to the heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, or HVAC, he said. In the meantime, members of the Jail Advisory Board — all three commissioners, Hall, Orlando, Common Pleas Judge Chris Cook and Probate Judge James Walther — weren't keen on just reparing a 50-year-old building while planning to start building its replacement by 2030. Roofs are supposed to last 30 years, and "we don't want to put a 30-year Band-Aid on a five-year project," Commissioner Marty Gallagher said. County and union officials said the current building is dangerous for inmates, corrections officers and visitors. Lawsuits by injured inmates or employees could cost the county thousands to millions of dollars. Contact Dave O'Brien at 440-329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com.