County Commissioners approved a $68,500 design contract to Nelson Architects during their May 21 meeting to remodel the current booking area in the Adult Detention Center.

Commissioners had previously set aside $600,000 in American Rescue Plan Act, or federal COVID relief, funds and $400,000 in reserves for the project.

The remodel will update the current booking area and address safety concerns caused by overcrowding.

The project will also add two additional drunk tanks, according to county officials.

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The additional drunk tanks will not change the Cascade County Sheriff’s Office current policy of not accepting people with a 0.3 blood alcohol content without a medical evaluation, according to CCSO.

The county solicited statements of qualifications for architectural/engineering services for the remodel design this spring and received two bids from Nelson and BSparck, according to county public works.

County staff reviewed the bids and recommended Nelson.

In December, Sheriff Jesse Slaughter and Undersheriff Scott Van Dyken told county commissioners that they wanted to remodel the booking area, which is out of date and a safety concern.

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Van Dyken said the booking area dates to the original building when it opened in the 1990s.

He told commissioners that they wanted to reallocate some ARPA funds that had been designated for a second floor railing that the previous undersheriff wanted but current officials had deemed unnecessary and of lesser need than remodeling the booking area.

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In their plan, they’d raise the booking platform, providing more security for booking officers, and raise the ceiling to install cameras since some areas of booking aren’t visible to officers at the desk.

They’re also planning to add what is essentially a drunk tank area to the booking area during the project, Slaughter and Van Dyken said.

Slaughter and Van Dyken estimated the project at $1 million and asked for the additional ARPA funds to lessen the impact on their reserve fund.