The Colusa County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday committed to building the new Colusa County Detention and Treatment Facility despite a significant increase in cost since the county was first awarded $20 million in funding from the state.
The project to replace the 60-year-old facility on bridge street has been in the works for a decade.
“The current Colusa County Jail is a multi-purpose type facility that was constructed in 1963,” Assistant Sheriff Michael Bradwell said. “In 2013, a jail needs assessment recommended immediate replacement of the existing facility.
Bradwell said the county was notified of the $20 million award SB 863 in 2016 and the process to design and select a builder moved forward at that time.
“Since 2017, the project has experienced significant delays in moving through the multiple state level approval process,” Bradwell said. “We were able to get the project back on track in early 2022.”
Due to the delays, the price tag for the new sheriff’s office and jail is $36.6 million, up from its original estimate of $17 million in 2017.
Despite the increase in cost, the county still plans to build a separate, stand-alone facility on county-owned land east of the existing substandard jail to provide 96 detention beds in podular-style housing units, safety and respiratory isolation cells, a medical and dental exam area, and space for educational services and mental health treatment.
County officials said they looked at areas in which they could have saved some money, but determined changing the scope of the project would require the county to basically start the approval process over.
Additionally, the new facility as designed is still desired.
“The cost savings we looked at would have done away with all the features that we want this new facility for,” Chief Executive Officer Wendy Tyler said.
The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday awarded a conditional contract to Clark Sullivan/Broward Buildings to construct the new facility and committed $15.6 million as the county’s share of cost for the project.
The State Department of Finance is expected to give final approval on the project on March 10, at which time Colusa County will issue a notice for the contractor to proceed with construction.
“Barring construction delays, the facility should be substantially completed by November 2025,” Bradwell said. ■