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photo by Eric Johnson
John Pristash looks over the Jail and Justice Center construction site while going over the general layout Wednesday afternoon.
Jail foundations taking shape
Construction to begin soon on geothermal heating, utilities
Published Thursday, May 28, 2009
Though it may not have looked it on a soggy, sloppy Wednesday, construction of the new Mower County Jail and Justice Center is moving right along.
The roughly $29 million project, which has received some criticism in Austin concerning the price tag and the number of new jail beds, is scheduled for completion in July 2010. For now, strides have been made in getting footings and foundations in place as the building’s skeleton begins to take shape, including some of the cells’ inner walls.
Construction will also soon begin on underground geothermal heating, a project that should last all summer, and on other underground work, such as plumbing and utilities. Or as project manager for Knutson Construction Services John Pristash called it, the building’s “guts.”
Photo by Eric Johnson
Workers do what they can in the rain Wednesday afternoon, working on the footings and foundation of the Jail and Justice Center.
This work won’t be highly visible to passers-by — that stage will come in early July as some of the building’s main walls begin to take shape. Pristash said the project overall is on schedule.
Criticism of the ever-developing jail and justice center came to a head in March, when two men submitted a petition with more than 900 signatures calling for bonding of the project to be put to a vote via referendum. The two, Tony Bennett and Dan Vermilyea, have not been granted a hearing, nor is the issue scheduled to appear as a referendum, as county commissioners and the attorney’s office have decided that by law neither is required.
On Wednesday, Mower County coordinator Craig Oscarson reiterated why the board felt the project was necessary for downtown Austin.
“It makes a nice fit in the government sector,” he said.
Oscarson added that the current jail is outdated and too small, while the new facility will be much more up to date and contain 128 jail beds.
“The new jails are like a mini-prison,” he said. “This is big time stuff.”
While some think the new center will revitalize downtown, Oscarson said he doesn’t necessarily think so, though he said it can’t hurt the area.
“I don’t think it does (spur business),” Oscarson said. “If I’m wrong, that’s great.”
Project manager Mike Clark of KKE Architects, the firm overseeing the project, said he has been impressed with how well Oscarson and the county have worked with the city and construction crews.
“So far, it’s going quite well,” Clark said. “They’re making a lot of progress.”
Oscarson said getting the city and county on the same page took some time early on, but since then the relationship has worked “fine,” he said.
“It was just getting to that point, just politics,” Oscarson said.
The main point of contention was the location of the center — the county originally pushed for a spot near the airport, while city officials pushed for the current downtown location.
Oscarson said the airport location would be slightly better strictly from the county’s perspective, but added that county officials were satisfied with the agreed-upon location.
“We needed a downtown presence,” he said.
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Posted by austinbri (anonymous) on May 28, 2009 at 3:59 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I don't know what Oscarson is smoking, but putting this jail in downtown Austin will go down as one of the worst decisions in the history of Austin.
Posted by Aletheia_Kratos (anonymous) on May 28, 2009 at 5:08 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I do hope you take the time to notice the following as you drive by the construction site:
1. The footings for the building are very small compared to the three blocks cleared for their construction.
2. A very tiny part of the Robbin's block is being used for material lay down - this was a major explanation for why the entire block needed to come down.
3. The geo thermal field will only occupy a part of the Robbin's block - another major explanation for why the entire block had to come down.
4. The new building is being built to mimic the existing building - in other words we will now have two of the ugliest government buildings as part of what makes Austin special.
5. At least four tax paying businesses were relocated at great cost to the tax payer, so that a "rain garden" could be constructed. Of course tax dollars are building the rain garden to so it is a "win - win" situation.
6. Even though there will now be many, many new parking spots on the "Robbins Memorial Parking Block", the County is still insisting that 1st Street be reduced to a one-lane one-way so that additional angle parking can be put really close to the building. I suppose that is to prepare for all the additional traffic a few extra jail beds will create.
I am sure there will be other notable oddities as the construction progresses.
Posted by Big (anonymous) on May 28, 2009 at 6:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)
AK- I agree with all of your points... you truly know what is best for Austin...
1. Having "green space" downtown is a terrible idea... how foolish to have areas for trees and grass...
2. It is also ridiculous to plan ahead and have room for future expansion...
3. Using green energy sources to REDUCE the overall tax burden on citizens is irresponsible...
4. Having buildings that match is definitely a mistake... Having a jail that looks like a jail is a luxury... If they could do it over again I bet they would make it look like a WalMart from the outside...
5. Spending money to catch rain water??? Why would anyone do that??? It would be stupid for a city that has been repeately devistated by flooding to set an example on how to handle storm water run off...
6. You're absolutely right- using a time when the streets are already torn up to add some MUCH NEEDED parking to downtown is a mistake... Let's wait a few years before we do the right thing about adding parking... I'm sure construction costs will be much lower by then...
be sure to keep us posted on what other "mistakes" the county is making with this project...
Posted by Littletoad (anonymous) on May 28, 2009 at 7:20 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Gee... it does seem a little over the top....I remember driving down Oakland Ave as a kid and looking over at the jail with the inmates arms dangling out the windows(that was always kinda of a highlite for an impressiable imp as myself!)....and the police station on 4th being a rather small building....and then the Old Courthouse being a rather unique building situated as a public square....and you throw them altogether and bingo you need 3 city blocks in todays world when the population base has probably declined county wide!
The downtown doesn't need more parking....people need to get out of their cars and walk a block or 2....my God what a lazy assed country this is turning out to be....maybe if you walked a little more your ass would shrink some and just maybe you wouldn't need so much health care due to a over weight condition(I'm talking in general terms here and not picking on any individual in particular!) Oh well...I guess I'll save my comments on healthcare for another topic! Now where is that peanut butter and jelly sandwich I was just making...!
Posted by IJ (anonymous) on May 28, 2009 at 8:40 p.m. (Suggest removal)
When are all of the malcontents whining about the jail going to finally shut up and deal with it???
Posted by geroanoke (anonymous) on May 28, 2009 at 9:34 p.m. (Suggest removal)
IJ, I agree with you all the way. Let's start with Kratos. She has got to be the biggest whiner of all time. Has to have a worthless comment on everything. Not to mention being an authority on everything......so she thinks.
Posted by Aletheia_Kratos (anonymous) on May 29, 2009 at 11:14 a.m. (Suggest removal)
BIG- I did not say I was against rain gardens. I said I was against tearing down buildings for no reason but to build rain gardens. The tax burden (for both the costs of doing that and the lost revenue from the missing building) is paid by the rest of us.
You suggest that this is for future expansion - I thought this jail was going to solve our problems for 50 years. That has been the montra and the promise. If you let us build this, it will serve your needs for 50 years. Are you suggesting that they lied?!? God forbid.
I also never suggested that "green energy sources" are bad. But they are bad when they don't pay for themselves during their useful life, and when they destroy commercial buildings when there is a perfectly suitable location available which would require no destruction. I am not against the principal of geo-thermal. I am only against bone headed decisions that we get to pay for.
I am willing to stand by my comments about the matching buildings. Our court house has been featured in books and publications as being the ugliest in the state. The fact that it replaced a beautiful historic building only adds to that tragedy. At a time when the community is doing its level best to improve the architectural quality of downtown, it is a shame that they have decided to mimic the "ugliest" government building in the state. Tasteful style does not have to cost more. In fact, it can cost less. Stupidity comes cheap but actually costs a great deal.
Are you suggesting that the rain garden - soon to be covered by an impervious expansion - is part of a larger flood mitigation plan? I would like to hear more about that.
Are you suggesting that parking is "much needed" even after the inclusion of the entire Robbin's block? If so, what is your measurement to declare that fact? Does a one help or hinder downtown traffic? Will such a change impact the Paramount Theater and B&J Bar? What is the cost of making the change - both in construction costs, and in long term costs?
Don't worry, I have not exhausted the list of mistakes the county has made in this process. And - lucky for me - they keep making more.
Posted by Aletheia_Kratos (anonymous) on May 29, 2009 at 11:17 a.m. (Suggest removal)
IJ - the malcontents will stop objecting to the jail when one of the following happen:
1. People become educated about what their leaders have done to them.
2. New leadership is elected.
3. The county commits itself to following the law.
4. The jail is completed, the new addition to the new jail is completed, the new DHS building is constructed, the old courthouse is abandoned, the LEC is fully remodeled and the last business has left the county and turned out the lights.
5. The bonds are paid off and the new new jail and court house are being planned. That is only 25 years from now. Then, we can forget about this lunacy and move on to the new lunacy.
Posted by Aletheia_Kratos (anonymous) on May 29, 2009 at 11:22 a.m. (Suggest removal)
geroanoke - how refreshing. I always know I can count on at least one person to make a personal attack while allowing my points to stand without challenge.
At least BIG posted an alternative position. How droll it is to respond to an argument simply with a protruding tongue.
Perhaps next time, if you disagree, you could post something with substance - a countervailing view perhaps. Such a move would make you look informed and mentally engaged.
If not, then you may decide not to exert the effort to name call as it simply makes you look childish and mindless.
Certainly, if you agree with my points and are simply commenting on my style, then fine. I can accept that. Being a whiner with solid points is way better than being a whiner with no points at all.
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