An Editorial...The County Jail

Delaware County Commissioners, after nearly a year of discussion, have finally hired a Texas firm, Stuckey Architects, to conduct a feasibility study for a new county jail. We were told last April to fix it or face a $10,000 a day fine. Our jail holds 61 at capacity but usually has up to 90 prisoners at a time.

They have had the same problem over in Bartlesville, with a 68-person capacity jail but government officials long ago decided on a Memphis firm, Southbuild, to design a new jail, having completed a feasibility study previously using a Kansas City architect. Two other firms were considered, BKI of Tulsa and Architects in Partnership PC of Norman. They are planning on a jail costing anywhere from $8 million to $25 million housing up to 197 beds.

And over in Vinita they are just about finished with their new courthouse and jail, which will hold 86 prisoners, with the entire courthouse costing about $8 million. They can easily add another 32 beds should they decide to do so later.

So we have to ask:
With all of the firms available to do feasibility studies, why is one selected over another?
Why reinvent the wheel? Why didn't the Delaware County Commissioners just make a phone call to Vinita or Bartlesville and take advantage of their planning and research already done?
Why the variance in cost?

Delaware County residents would do well to keep a close eye on this matter, because we are the people who are going to foot the bill for a new jail, most likely with another hike in the sales tax, putting the tax in Grove over 10%. (Actually, the bill for the new jail should be sent to those who planned the current courthouse, going from 49 beds to 61 beds. These persons include Howard Payton, a sitting Commissioner.)

Stuckey will get paid $2,500 for its study. We doubt that much will come from this, as typical studies cost 10 times as much.

It would make sense to have the increase in sales tax be term-limited, and that the jail would be built with enough beds to house DOC prisoners, which generate income of $27 per day per prisoner…helping to pay off the bond issue more quickly. Our new jail should have at least a 150-bed capacity.

The other issue is location. Not many folks want a jail in their backyard. Somebody suggested using the Grove Civic Center and overhauling it complete with a big flashing sign out front that reads: "Crime Does Not Pay, You Do Not Want to Be in Here."

But where would we put the Boat Show?