Page 8 - Flathead Beacon // 12.30.15

ROUNDUP 24 POLICE BLOTTER 26 Newsworthy
Flathead County Seeks Grant to Study Construction of New Jail As county applies for federal planning funds, jail prepares to send juvenile inmates to Missoula
BY JUSTIN FRANZ OF THE BEACON
As the new year approaches, Flathead County o cials are facing the same prob- lem they had at the dawn of 2015: an over- crowded jail with few options for relief in the near future.
This month, Flathead County applied for a $50,000 planning grant that would commission a study to look at what exactly it would need in a new jail. The study would come just months after plans to turn the old Walmart in Ever- green into a jail fell through when the owner of the shuttered building found a better o er.
“We need to do some analysis and nd out exactly what our end goal is for a new jail,” Flathead County Adminis- trative O cer Mike Pence said. “We also want to look at future needs and take a long-range view beyond what we’ll need for the next 20 years.”
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development distributes the community development block grants and Pence said he is optimistic Flathead County would be one of the recipients. The county expects to learn if it has won the grant next month.
The study will determine how many
Jail commander Jenny Root shows the facilities at the Flathead County jail. GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON
more room for adults. The former juve- nile facility is being upgraded and adult female inmates will soon be moved there.
Flathead County has long grappled with a growing jail population, but the problem came to a head earlier this year. The current Flathead County Deten- tion Center, which is located in the Jus- tice Center, was built in 1985 to hold 63 inmates. But it is now regularly holding more than 100 inmates every night. In October that number nearly hit 120.
In the past, jail o cials have worked with District Court judges and the county attorney’s o ce to release low-risk adult prisoners. But Sheri Chuck Curry said on two occasions inmates released on a Friday were back in the jail before the end of the weekend. One had stolen multiple cars during the time he was free.
Flathead County is not alone when it comes to crowded jails, according to a recent report by the American Civil Lib- erties Union. For example, the report found that Yellowstone County Jail was built to hold approximately 285 inmates but is often holding more than 400. The ACLU report placed much of the blame on shrinking budgets and a sluggish criminal justice system.
jfranz@ atheadbeacon.com
beds the county jail would need in the future. It would also determine poten- tial locations for the jail. Pence said o - cials would consider building a new jail on land the county already owns or on land it could purchase. He also said the study would look at ways to expand the
current jail, although Pence notes that option now seems like a last resort.
Pence said it could take two to three years to plan and construct a new jail.
This fall, the Flathead County Com- mission approved a plan to move juvenile inmates to a facility in Missoula to make
Flathead Valley Community College to Build Student Housing New facility is estimated to house roughly 100 beds
BY BEACON STAFF
Last week the Flathead Valley Com- munity College Board of Trustees approved the development of student housing on the Kalispell campus.
The new facility is estimated to house roughly 100 beds with a goal of com- pletion by fall semester 2017. Based on current construction costs, the college expects the entire project to cost up to $9.5 million, according to o cials. The school bill conduct a bid process for an architect in early 2016.
“During the past several years, our students and the community continued to express interest in on-campus stu- dent housing,” said FVCC president Jane Karas. “We have thoroughly evaluated the need and determined that this will expand opportunities for our students
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and bene t our community.”
Karas added that the development will
provide new opportunities for students to access safe and a ordable housing on campus. The units will be nancially self-sustaining and will not impact local taxpayers, school o cials said.
The community college has debated adding student housing in recent years. Previously, FVCC used two apart- ment buildings, located near Kalispell Regional Medical Center, that are leased from the hospital to the college that o er rooms for 28 students in 16 apartments.
“Our Board has reached the point where it makes sense and we are ready to move forward with housing on campus,” said FVCC Board of Trustees Chairper- son Shannon Lund. “This is a very excit- ing time for our college and our students.”
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Flathead Valley Community College. BEACON FILE PHOTO DECEMBER 30, 2015 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM