$229 Million Macomb County Jail Project Hits Halfway Mark

Photo: Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel (center) and project representatives attended a basketball game in the recreation yard between the Macomb County Jail’s maximum security and D Block units; those units are being demolished as construction of the jail’s new Central Intake Assessment Center progresses. |  Photo Credit: Mark Hackel, Facebook

By Charlie Lange

MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich. – Project managers working on the $229 million Macomb County Jail project in Mount Clemens, Mich., recently told the county Board of Commissioners that the project is on time and under budget at the halfway point.

At an Aug. 19 Board meeting, leaders from the owner’s representative Plante Moran Realpoint said that the project, which was approved in 2023 and broke ground in July of 2024, is on track for completion in early 2027.

“The project does continue to remain on time and within budget,” Joe Asperger of Plante Moran Realpoint told commissioners at the meeting. “The project financially and schedule-wise is in good shape.”

Project Background

The project centers around building a new 162,000-square-foot Central Intake Assessment Center (CIAC) to replace the county’s outdated current jail structure, which was built in 1954 and no longer meets the needs of the modern criminal justice system. The new four-story CIAC will aid in diagnosing and prescribing treatment of incarcerated people suffering from mental illness and substance-use addictions, adding more than 300 beds and bringing the total capacity to more than 1,200 inmates.

As a result of hospital closures in Michigan during the late 1990s, the responsibility of caring for many people struggling with mental illness shifted from medical providers to county jails. In response, Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel and Sheriff Anthony Wickersham identified the need for such a facility within its correctional system.

At admission to the new CIAC, inmates will be assessed for medical, mental health or substance use-related needs in coordination with Macomb County Community Mental Health (MCCMH) professionals. This intake process will inform security classification decisions, housing placement, and treatment plans during and after incarceration. It will also help deflect crisis calls away from emergency services through de-escalation and provide outpatient referrals and connections to existing caregivers, family or community-based support networks.

Architect-of-record PARTNERS in Architecture (PIA) and justice architect and engineer-of-record STV collaborated on the project design. The project scope was refined to align with the budget during value engineering sessions with construction manager Granger Construction and Plante Moran Realpoint.

Almost $130 million of project funding has been sourced from the American Rescue Plan Act, along with $60 million from Macomb County and $40 million from the State of Michigan. The rationale behind the project planning was explored in-depth in the March/April issue of Correctional News.

Latest Steps

The Plante Moran Realpoint team told commissioners that the structural steel for the facility should be completely erected by the end of September and that the basement and first floor are currently being prepared for installation of underground utilities before the installation of concrete floors.

Asperger also said that the team is “finalizing many of the technology packages,” as work on distributing fiber optics and cabling for the facility’s security and surveillance systems is underway. Additionally, selection and design of furniture, fixtures and equipment is ongoing, with procurement commencing early next year.

In total, 77,800 square feet of existing jail space will be demolished, while 28,000 square feet of the current jail tower will be renovated to be incorporated with the new CIAC. Demolition of the jail’s former maximum-security section began last month and will be followed by demolition of the former D Block section. The largest structure, the rehabilitation structure, will be demolished next summer, while the jail’s former annex was demolished when the project started last year.

Last month, before the latest round of demolitions began, Hackel and Wickersham and staff from the county and Sheriff’s Office held one final basketball game in the recreation yard between the maximum security and D Block buildings.