The Lucas County commissioners joined Sheriff Mike Navarre and project partners on Monday to break ground on the site of a new Lucas County pre-trial detention center.
The event signaled a major milestone in the yearslong project to construct a modern, efficient jail.
The new two-story, 217,000-square-foot facility will feature a normative environment to help reduce the frequency and severity of anti-social behaviors among inmates. It also will be designed to easily facilitate direct supervision.
“We are thrilled to officially break ground and move this project forward,” Commissioner Pete Gerken said. “Our new detention center will mark a new day of efficient, economical and humane housing for inmates in Lucas County. Our current facility has cost taxpayers more money than it’s worth over the years. This new detention center is a cost-effective solution that allows our sheriff’s office to implement industry-best practices.”
Located just one block from the Lucas County Court of Common Pleas, the detention center will have an increased pre-trial capacity from 368 to 430 beds. The facility will provide assessment and general housing. It will include specialized housing for offenders ages 18 to 25 and senior inmates, as well as provide in-house infirmary care for 24 inmates.
The structure will house and treat inmates with serious mental illness who do not require off-site psychiatric care and will be capable of providing a full continuum of mental health treatment services. There also will be a dedicated group and individual treatment spaces.
The operational goals of the mental health housing unit will be to stabilize active symptoms and provide access to individual and group therapies as well as create meaningful links to community-based organizations to help facilitate reentry to society.
“Mental health and substance abuse disorders have been plaguing communities for far too long and Lucas County is no exception,” Commissioner Tina Skeldon Wozniak said. “Our new capacity to treat mental health at the detention center will improve the overall wellness of our community and better facilitate the process of ethical rehabilitation.”
Foundation construction for the building will begin in early 2024. The project will be built through joint venture with Lathrop/Ozanne. Kleinfelder serves as the architect of this project.
“Our community members have been loud and clear about wanting the new jail built downtown,” Commissioner Lisa Sobecki said. “We’re so excited to be able to deliver that to our county and cannot wait to unveil this facility upon completion. With each day, we are one step closer to having an efficient, effective detention center with a normative environment. We are thankful for the variety of funding sources we received through state and federal grants to help make this facility become a reality.”
The project is estimated to cost $200 million and will be complete by fall 2026.
“Our deputies and corrections officers have an extraordinarily difficult job,” Sheriff Navarre said. “It is my hope that a modern facility will lessen the danger and create a better environment for our employees and the inmates they manage.”
