Photo by Jason Sethre
The Fillmore County Journal (Publisher Jason Sethre, Assistant Editor Ellen Whalen, and this reporter) toured the jail in part on April 3, which was interrupted by an emergency (car chase), and later on April 16. Sheriff John DeGeorge led us through the office portion of the old building and through the new jail which will eventually house the county’s inmates.
Jail Improvement Process
Discussions related to the need for a new county jail began a few decades ago. Earlier discussions around the turn of the century didn’t lead to improvements for one of the oldest, if not the oldest, jail in the state. It was built in the late 1960s. Sheriff DeGeorge explained the postponement of the jail project was a “stroke of luck” for Fillmore County. Patience has paid off. In the early 2000s, planners believed there was a need for a much larger jail capacity due to the meth lab boom in the area; it was believed that there will never be enough space. Jails were full. As a result, jails built at that time were overbuilt for a large capacity that is not needed today.
The county’s jail was reduced to a 90-day facility in 2017 by the Minnesota Department of Corrections due to non-compliant issues. The bed capacity was also reduced to16. The state has added more housing requirements for various classifications over the years. The jail hadn’t been compliant for a couple of decades.
In September 2021 a Jail Needs Assessment Report was discussed at a county board meeting. The committee spent 18 months preparing the report, looking at four options. Among the options presented the committee recommended a 365-day Class III facility. At that time a 32 bed jail was recommended. The state has over 15 classifications of inmates that the county needs to abide by. In December 2021 the board moved ahead with a request for proposals for architectural services for design and build for a new or remodeled jail. A preliminary concept was presented by the architect firm BKV Group in March 2022. A pre-design contract with BKV Group was approved in April 2022.
Bids for the project were presented in April 2023. The board voted unanimously to move forward with the project.
The sale of $6,390,000 in general obligation bonds for the renovation and expansion of the jail was approved in May 2023. The total expected cost of the jail project is $11,382,018. There was $900,000 in cash in a committed fund for jail construction. The county also committed $4,092,018 of ARPA funding. The balance, less than $30,000 will come from other funds.
The bond payment will not be felt to any degree by property taxpayers as the bond for the courthouse was paid off last year and the new jail bond payment will only be slightly higher.
The Tour
DeGeorge noted all of the jailers are from the area; they are part of the community and have an eye on making things better. Most inmates are non-violent; they need the support of their community. The staff includes 20 full-time licensed individuals; 15 of that staff are full-time deputies.
The old jail was built in a “linear” style. The ceilings are low in the office area, with little natural light, limited/crowded space, and limited bathroom facilities. With the renovation of the old facility, much of that building will be offices. The engineers found the old building to be solid; they estimated renovation of the old facility would cost about 60% of the total it would cost to replace it with a new structure. The renovation of part of the old facility has begun.
The new facility for inmates will have 29 beds and be easy to supervise from a central/master control area. One dispatcher will be at the master control at all times, sometimes there will be two dispatchers. Two jailers will be on, who are also trained in the dispatch system. The entire jail can be seen from master control.
Juveniles will still go to Houston County to its Juvenile Detention Center (JDC).
DeGeorge showed us the sally port/secure entry, or garage where vehicles, ambulances drive in and out instead of needing to back out, which creates a safety hazard. Individuals are then brought into a pre-booking area. A padded cell is near the booking area for combative individuals. Cameras have been installed so every part of the facility can be seen at central control. Jail Administrator Jamie Fenske had cameras positioned so there will not be blind spots throughout the new facility. There are seven cells plus the high observation cell. Some cells are handicap accessible. Men and women are required to be housed separately by both sight and sound. There is a recreation room and a programing/classroom. The completed facility will be 21,075 square feet including both the new and renovated portions and the training/emergency operation center. DeGeorge said he doesn’t think the facility will require more staff. In some ways it will be simpler; there will be less distractions.
DeGeorge praised the work release program which allows inmates to learn skills while out in the community. He stressed, “Sentence to Serve is a very successful diversionary program.” He expressed disappointment that the state plans to terminate the program at the end of June. He hopes the county board will help continue a similar program within the county. The state paid 25% of the cost for the STS program, the county paid the other 75%. The STS program began in 1998 and was originally fully funded by the state. This program and other programs like it are beneficial and can provide a head start for an individual to be productive before release. DeGeorge said his goal is to create a new county program to begin seamlessly with the end of the STS program on June 30. His vision is for the crew leader to be a sheriff’s office employee. The STS crew has completed work projects across the county and contributed to the jail project as well.
Local contractors have been used in the construction of the new facility when possible. The date to move inmates into the new jail facility has been pushed back several times. It is now expected that inmates will be in the new facility by mid-July. The phone vendor (Lumen Tech) has set the project back months and needs to do their work before Motorola can finish up. The plan is use another vendor and Houston County as a backup until Lumen does their work; this may allow the mid July date to become a reality. Work currently is centered in the old building; interior demolition is underway of the office areas. Offices for some staff members are located temporarily in the courthouse.
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