Pierce County Jail on Track for Spring 2017 Opening
ELLSWORTH, Wis. — Construction on the new Pierce County Jail & Sheriff’s Department in Ellsworth is well underway after a groundbreaking ceremony took place in March. Scheduled for an opening next summer, the project is currently within budget and has yet to face any weather or other unnecessary delays, reported River Falls Journal.
Madison, Wis.-based Potter Lawson designed the 56,000-square-foot facility to house an 80-bed jail pod with the potential to expand to 120 beds in the future. Not only does it include bed space, but it also features an Emergency Operations Center, Sheriff’s operations space, jail support and administration areas, a dispatch office and a secure sallyport. Market & Johnson Inc., with offices throughout Wisconsin, is serving as the construction manager on the project.
The design considers everything from functionality to flow of staff, flow of the public and incorporating a secured perimeter around the site, reported Red Wing Republican Eagle in August 2015 when the design documents were presented. The two-story facility is designed to look as if it’s only one story from the passing Highway 65. Built into a hill, the lower level of the building will be tucked back. On the northern side of the site, there will also be room left to make way for a 23,000-square-foot courtroom facility in case the county decides to move the courts from its current location.
From a security standpoint, a single public entrance is key. The main entrance lobby is placed on the northeastern side of the building, with 25 public parking spaces available, according to Red Wing Republican Eagle. Jail staff will enter on the lower level near the 25-space employee parking lot. The lower level will also house a vehicle evidence spot as well as three bays for sheriff’s department vehicles and an evidence room, reported Red Wing Republican Eagle. While the only glass built into the building is in the main stairway, lobby and three windows in the jail administration area, there will be skylights built into the jail pod to allow for natural light.
The project is currently on budget, projected to be between $18.5 million and $18.9 million, according to River Falls Journal. It is being paid for by a bond sale that is not to exceed $19 million and a 15-year tax levy that will increase in 2018. One of the biggest expenses for the county will be staffing the facility, which is why that initial tax increase will not happen until the facility opens.
The project is more than 20 years in the making, with several ad hoc committees working to bring it to fruition and replace the current 29-bed jail, reported Pierce County Herald at the time of the ground breaking.