Architects present jail expansion feasibility study; propose options ranging from $360M to $1.3B phased

Architects from Babcock Design presented a feasibility study for a multi-phase expansion and renovation of the county's adult detention facilities, highlighting three options and recommending either the full build or a near-full solution that addresses the behavioral-health unit and Oxbow replacement.

Rob Bridal, senior principal with Babcock Design, introduced the team and stressed the analysis is at a programming/feasibility level: "We are very, very early in the process, and we're just scratching the surface of the project," he said, cautioning that detailed design and contractor engagement will refine costs and bed counts. The team emphasized the need to replace Oxbow (about 500 inmates currently at that facility), expand intake/booking capacity, and build a substantially larger behavioral/mental-health unit to divert clinically appropriate individuals from general population housing.

The team presented three cost scenarios (all escalated to Q1 2029 using a 5% compounded annual escalation): a comprehensive, sequenced full-build option estimated at roughly $840M–$900M; a targeted partial-build (Oxbow replacement + behavioral health + key renovations) estimated in the $1.0B–$1.1B range when phased and escalated; and a narrow Oxbow-only replacement (~$350M) that would resolve short-term bed shortages but likely cost more over a long phased timeline. Presenters warned phasing increases total cost due to escalation and recommended designing for flexibility (shell capacity + later fit-out) to reduce lifecycle cost and operational disruption.

Committee members pressed the team on deferred-maintenance accounting and a draft-document typo: presenters corrected a background figure and said deferred maintenance totaled about $88,000,000 in today's dollars (escalated to Q1 2029 in project documents). Members also questioned bed-projection methodologies; Meg Bauer explained the team ran about 20 models, selected several best-fit scenarios, and averaged three with the best statistical fit to derive long-term need.