Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, October 12, 1993 TAG: 9310120217
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
But there is some good news for the city amid the higher cost.
The jail annex will be able to provide 320 beds instead of 220 as predicted earlier.
Monday night, Maj. George McMillan told Roanoke City Council that the additional beds should be adequate for the next decade.
McMillan, Sheriff Alvin Hudson's top assistant, said several factors could affect the jail population, but he believes the annex will provide enough beds.
George Snead, director of public safety, said the earlier plan called for 220 beds based on the state standard of 85 square feet for two inmates.
But the state recently increased the minimum cell space to 115 square feet, reducing the number of beds to 160.
Snead said the new regulations will allow the double-bunking of cells, however, enabling the annex to hold 320 prisoners.
With double- and triple-bunking, the current jail has 473 beds, but it has housed up to 500 prisoners.
With the jail annex, McMillan said the city would have the capacity to hold approximately 800 inmates.
Councilman James Harvey said he wants to make sure the city is adding enough beds to meet the demand.
"Are we going to face another dangerous situation like we do now - just as soon as we finish this project?" Harvey asked.
McMillan said he believes the annex will provide the needed space to ease overcrowding.
The city will buy two buildings adjacent to the jail on Campbell Avenue and convert them into the annex.
Snead said the city still expects the state to pay 25 percent of the project's cost, or $1.9 million.
City Council agreed earlier to issue $4.8 million in general-obligation bonds to pay part of the city's share. That leaves $942,000 to be paid with other local funds.
City Manager Bob Herbert said he will identify a source for those funds when he presents a capital-improvement program next year.
Snead said the new jail standards require that the amount of space for recreation, education and other diversion activities in the jail annex be increased by more than 10 percent. He said that also contributed to the cost increase.
by CNB