El Dorado County to consider $40 million jail expansion. It could finish as early as 2025
The El Dorado County Board of Supervisors will vote next week on whether or not to authorize an expansion of the county’s Placerville jail facility.
The vote comes after supervisors in 2017 unanimously accepted California Senate Bill 844’s $25 million for the expansion of the Placerville facility. The bill focused on improving and expanding local adult criminal justice facilities statewide. Should Tuesday’s expansion proposal pass, the project could start construction as soon as summer 2024 and reach completion late 2025, according to a presentation submitted to the board.
The board’s approval would mean the county would enter into a $37 million contract with the El Dorado County-based Roebbelen Contracting, Inc.; the project’s entire cost totals $40.5 million.
SB 844 would pay for 60% of the project, while the county’s designated capital reserve covers most of the rest. County documents say 1% of the jail’s cost would come out of the general fund.
The expansion would add a second story, roughly 22,000 square feet in size, for single- and double-bunk housing units and more restroom facilities, mental health services, counseling and secured recreation yards, county officials said. A related work site would be built on roughly half an acre of land next to the existing facility.
The project would include Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant cells, medical offices, medical and records storage, a pharmacy, exam rooms, a nurses’ station, staff work rooms, break rooms and a locker room for female staff, the presentation said.
The expansion also targets making female inmates’ incarceration more comfortable. The jail houses 295 male inmates and 60 female inmates, authorities said.
“The Placerville Jail was designed with only one housing unit designated for females,” the presentation reads. “This was adequate in 1988. Today, our female inmates occupy two housing units, one of which was designed for males.”
County officials said they often send overflow female inmates to their South Lake Tahoe facility due to a lack of space in Placerville.
An increase of women in custody is expected to continue, authorities said. A jail expansion would allow for a more comprehensive use of the female housing space and reduce the costs of transporting incarcerated women between facilities to avoid capacity releases.
There has also been an increase of inmates carrying pregnancies to term, requiring increased medical services, according to county authorities.
County officials said the new space would aim to reduce isolation of those who are mentally ill, improve inmate and staff safety, and reduce suicide hazards.
“This facility expansion will help comply with new state mandates and promote further efficiencies by enhancing staff productivity,” county officials said. “The proposed project will be a highly functional, ADA-accessible (and) energy efficient correctional facility.“