Comanche County commissioners explore idea to build jail annex | News

Third District Commissioner Josh Powers has been seeking a permanent solution to the overcrowding problems at the Comanche County Detention Center for over a year after helping to create what he called a temporary solution: housing agreements with jails/detention centers outside of Comanche County.

That solution is working, county officials say. Agreements with at least five other facilities are diverting enough inmates to bring Comanche County's inmate population below the 283-inmate limit mandated by state health regulations. The solution comes at a price: an estimated $200,000 a month in fees paid to other county facilities to house Comanche County's inmates.

Powers said he believes the money could be better spent in Comanche County, which is one reason he asked commissioners Monday for input on the plan he is studying. Building another facility is not a new idea — both county and Lawton city governments have explored the option in the past — but this time the proposal has the potential benefit of federal funding.

Commissioners made no decision Monday, but indicated that Powers should further examine the idea.

“We cannot afford to bear the costs of arrivals from outside the county,” Powers said, referring to the costs the county pays others to house Comanche County inmates and to transport inmates to and from those locations.

Powers said that while the temporary solution is working, it hasn't been without problems (he cited staffing issues at some sites and jails that haven't been cleaned). The county has been able to resolve those issues, but commissioners want a long-term solution. That's why Powers and others have been exploring options.

Powers' first idea was something others had suggested: using Manitou's now-vacant youth prison. But that idea ran into obstacles when Tillman County commissioners passed a resolution earlier this year that required their approval before another county could house inmates in Tillman County. Powers said while he's not sure the measure is legal because the prison is within Manitou city limits, there are other issues, including its distance from Lawton.

However, it is large enough to accommodate Comanche County's overflow while providing additional space that Comanche County could lease to offset operating costs.

The same argument applies to Power's second option: building the addition on land the county already owns. Power said his goal is to build the facility without asking taxpayers for money.

His solution is land that Comanche County owns between the Comanche County Fairgrounds on South Sheridan Road and the Juvenile Detention Center on Southwest 17th Street and Southwest G Avenue. Some of the land is undeveloped; the rest is home to Ahlschlager Park, a sports field that the city of Lawton leases from the county. Powers said the property is large enough to accommodate the addition while remaining close to an already operating juvenile detention center. The site also has water, sewer and roads.

Powers also suggested commissioners look at a plan to use a prefab facility, a modular format that the city of Lawton also used to build its jail. He said he has already been in touch with a company called ModCorr, which builds correctional facilities that can be used for county jails, detention centers and prisons.

He said a 210-bed facility would be large enough to accommodate routine overcrowding at the county jail and leave about 80 beds that could be leased to others. His suggestion was federal agencies reimbursing such facilities $85 per day per inmate. The potential of such an arrangement is $200,000 a month, Powers said of the funds that could be used to cover the costs of the detention center and repay the costs of the addition.

A rough estimate is $10 million: $5 million from ModCorr for prefab construction, plumbing, foundation and electrical work, plus another $5 million for related expenses such as administrative areas and kitchen.

Powers and prison administrator David Weber are also exploring funding options, including plans to apply to the state of Oklahoma for a grant from remaining American Rescue Plan Act funds. That state grant could be up to $5 million, which could be matched by a $5 million loan from the county. The loan could be repaid from costs the county saves by no longer housing its inmates in other counties. Powers estimated the monthly cost of paying off the debt at $63,000, and combined with estimated utility costs of $30,000, that would still be less than the county pays other counties. Payroll costs could be covered by revenue the county generates from housing federal prisoners.

District 1 Commissioner Trent Logan said the idea was attractive and the land near the fairgrounds was large enough to accommodate “a lot of growth” without impacting the playing fields.

“We have to find a solution,” Powers said.