RQAW News

Justice system options, costs ‘a work in progress’

DUBOIS COUNTY, IN (MAR. 22, 2019) – Very rough construction estimates for expanding the Dubois County Security Center range from $15 to $20 million. And expanding Dubois County Community Corrections is estimated to cost between $1.7 and $2 million.
The numbers are very preliminary, RQAW architect Sanjay Patel told the justice center study committee Thursday.

“This information is preliminary, when we’re talking about staffing and cost, and operational costs,” he said. “It’s still a work in progress. But I wanted to get you up to speed as to where we are and what we’ve been thinking of in terms of cost.”

The group is researching the cost to expand the security center, which has on overcrowding problem. County officials started looking into the matter after receiving a notice about the problem from the Indiana Department of Correction in 2017.
A state law that went into effect in 2018 requires a feasibility study be done before any new construction or remodeling can be done to a jail facility. The study must consider the needs of a facility, including size, location, staff and alternatives to incarceration. RQAW of Fishers was hired in December to conduct the study.
So far, RQAW has looked at various statistics from the security center and other county departments, as well as space needs for each. Patel and RQAW architectural intern Cole Walters have sent some of that information to committee members. At Thursday’s meeting, Walters presented some of the preliminary conclusions from that study.
From the Dubois County Herald. Read the full article by Candy Neal here.