“This is just the start,” Wayne Freeh of CGL reminded his audience Tuesday at the Lancaster County commissioners’ work session as he introduced the draft schematic design for the county’s new correctional facility.
Later, Brian Endler of TranSystems described a set of renderings of the proposed building as “very preliminary” examples of “what could be.”
Both men emphasized that there is plenty of opportunity to make changes now, and that there will be more “hold points” along the way as the schematic design process shifts into design development.
The correctional facility is expected to be the biggest construction project in county government history. TranSystems is heading the team charged with designing it, with input from CGL, which is serving as the county’s “owner’s representative,” and a committee of county and prison administrators.
The schematic design takes the data from previous stages, the needs assessment and programming, and puts it into an “overall concept,” which is then adjusted and refined, Endler said during his presentation. His slides (PDF), along with the draft report they were based on (PDF), have since been posted in the document center of the project website.
What’s next
Public discussions and reviews of the draft schematic design for the Lancaster County Correctional Facility are scheduled as follows:
- Prison Board: 9:15 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 15, Room 701, County Government Center.
- Public listening session: 6:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 21, Rooms 102-104, County Government Center.
- The session will have a different format than previous ones. It will consist of an initial presentation, followed by a “breakout” period, which will allow participants to share verbal or written input on three topic areas (site, inmate housing, wellness). It will then wrap up with concluding remarks.
- Board of commissioners’ approval: TBD
The project’s website is lccf-pa.com.
In general, Endler’s commentary followed that provided in the report. He emphasized the efforts being made to create a “normalized,” non-institutional facility. Externally, the building is being designed to blend in with its surroundings. Inside, housing units are being limited to 64 beds or fewer; skylights are being proposed to feed natural light into all dayrooms. There will be abundant space for recovery, education and other programs as well as a large, full-featured wellness center with the look and feel of a normal medical clinic.
As presented Tuesday, the facility would have 994 beds, with “core areas,” such as the laundry and kitchen, sized to fit. It includes space for a central booking function: That’s been an ongoing topic of discussion among law enforcement in the county, Commissioner Josh Parsons said; if it’s there from the start, the decision to “operationalize” it can be made down the road.
There would be a dedicated unit for juvenile offenders. That would keep the county from having to send them to Allegheny County, at a cost of $150 a day, Warden Cheryl Steberger.
In response to a question about cell size, Freeh and county officials said neither cell designs nor detailed floor plans would be released, because it would be a security risk. Cell sizes and layouts will follow accepted national standards, county Purchasing Director Linda Schreiner said.
Previously, the commissioners had discussed building core areas sized for a 1,200-bed facility, to make expansion easier later on. Asked about that Tuesday, Parsons said that’s still a possibility: “You do want a facility that can be adequate well into the future.”
The schematic design includes a preliminary cost estimate of $890 to $940 per square foot. That includes “soft costs” like professional services, insurance, furniture and furnishings as well as construction costs, Endler said. It does not include some elements mentioned as possible options, such as a solar array or green roof or a geothermal system.
As One United Lancaster reported previously, multiplying by the proposed size, 433,018 square feet, yields preliminary total cost estimates of $385 million to $407 million. However, Parsons said he’s hesitant about such figures being bandied about this early, given how much things could change.
He said he wants to wait for more refined cost estimates before assessing the cost against the county’s borrowing capacity. He noted that county has worked hard to put itself in a solid financial position, paying down debt and undertaking a recent refinancing to adjust its cash flow.
Still, “it’s going to be an expensive project,” he said.
Commissioner Alice Yoder praised the emphasis on rehabilitation. That’s in line with the feedback from a focus group of about 15 former inmates that the county convened, she said. Apart from noting the need for good climate control (The existing County Prison struggles annually with its lack of air conditioning), all their comments had to do with the need for more counseling, education and other support, she said.
All three commissioners said they look forward to reviewing the schematic design. They are tentatively expected to approve it, either with or without revisions, in the last week of August, though they may choose to take longer, if need be.
