COUNTY OFFICIALS EXPECT WORK ON JAIL EXPANSION TO BEGIN IN 1997

JACKSON -- Barring any major setbacks, work on an expansion of the Cape Girardeau County Jail could begin sometime in 1997, county officials say.

"If everything goes well, stays positive and we get a good financial report, we could start in '97," said Presiding County Commissioner Gerald Jones. "But we're not going to race into it."

Sheriff John Jordan said the county is moving cautiously to avoid poor planning and bad decisions, but he also feels breaking ground in 1997 is a reasonable goal.

"This project is moving right along," Jordan said.

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.

"If we get our facts together shortly, we can make definite plans on what to do," said County Commissioner Larry Bock. "We're just trying to figure out our needs and the amount of money it's going to take."

During its Monday meeting at the County Administration Building in Jackson, the County Commission appointed a committee to study the funding options available. The group will begin meeting in January.

That committee consists of Jordan, County Auditor Weldon Macke, outgoing County Commissioner Joe Gambill, County Clerk Rodney Miller, and Dan McQuay, the county's buildings and grounds supervisor.

"One of the first things we're looking at is taking our 1.5 million grant and making that go as far as we possibly can and get the most bang for our buck," Jordan said.

The commission has vowed not to ask voters for a bond issue or tax levy to pay for the jail expansion. Bock said the county's share of costs will come either from existing general revenue or from the county's capital improvements fund.

Future fees for housing federal prisoners could eventually repay the county's portion.

One of the reasons the U.S. Marshal's Service provided grant money was so the jail would have more room for federal prisoners awaiting trial in Cape Girardeau. There are currently about 12 federal prisoners in the county jail.

Once the expansion is complete, the number of federal prisoners housed at the jail would jump to a daily average of about 40, Jones said. With a fee of $38.34 per prisoner per day, the county would make nearly $560,000 per year.

On Wednesday Jordan, all three current county commissioners and incoming Commissioner Max Stovall toured three recently constructed jails in Madison, St. Francois and Ste. Genevieve counties.

Jordan said the group learned much concerning what worked and did not work well for those counties.

"My impression was it looked like most of the counties were very frugal," Jordan said.

Jones said officials were not experiencing any major facility problems but mentioned a number of minor items they wish they would have avoided.

"One jail took the cheaper bid on locks and found those locks were not sturdy enough to hold up," Jones said. "They advised not to buy the cheapest locks."

Tours of other facilities are expected early in the new year.

The expansion will be on land recently acquired on the northwestern side of the existing jail. A environmental study of the property has been completed and revealed no problems.

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.

"We've had about a 60 percent growth. That is something you never really anticipate. What you usually get is gradual growth," Jordan said.