Published: May 26, 2009 11:05 am      

Jail’s time short

Commissioners under gun to fix or replace Hays’ crumbling lockup

San Marcos — Some Hays County Commissioners are taking a field trip today.

Commissioners Karen Ford, Debbie Gonzales Ingalsbe and Will Conley have traveled north to Belton to tour the Bell County Jail.

The trip comes but two weeks prior to a deadline imposed by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards. The commission on May 5 ordered Hays Commissioners to put out a plan of action for the old jail here.

The report put the issue of jail deterioration “front and center,” County Judge Liz Sumter said.

“Our challenge will be to figure out what the priorities are, in terms of most needed projects, and to figure out how to fund them in an economy that is not as robust as in the past,” said Sumter, who along with Sheriff Tommy Ratliff has previously toured the Bell County Jail.

Problems have plagued the Hays jail for years, pre-dating Ratliff’s April 7 appeal to commissioners to take action to fix, among other concerns, collapsed ceilings, water fixtures into which water has seeped and foundation problems.

In one cell block, 16 inmates had to be moved after a ceiling collapsed, exposing steel mesh and chunks of concrete. Officials say that’s not only dangerous but could also provide materials with which inmates could fashion makeshift weapons.

Sumter said a consultant is in the process of putting out bids for roof repair. But, she added, that’s a stopgap measure — a means of holding the old building together until a new one can be built.

“It has been no secret that Hays County has needed a new jail for a number of years now,” Sumter said. “We could improve the existing one but it still won’t meet our needs. We have to build a new jail or add on to the one we have. I think in the final analysis it will cost more to rehab what we have than build a new one.”

Something in the style of the Bell County Jail, she said, is attractive for a number of reasons.

“It’s a mezannine-style jail, which means they’re able to reduce the number of staff because of the way they can see folks and monitor them. I also like that it’s connected to the justice system so there’s no transportation of prisoners back and forth in vehicles,” Sumter said. “That cuts down operations and maintenance costs and safety concerns for citizens.”

Sumter said the average life of a jail is 20 years, and evidence the current facility has outlived its prime is plentiful. “You can’t even buy parts for the intercom systems and innerworkings anymore.”

Moreover, she said newer jails are more secure.

“Our ceilings are eight feet tall and theirs you can’t touch, which is a really good idea. Computerized systems do a lot of things for them too, and that’s one of the reasons they are able to reduce staff,” she said.

Sumter said she believes that in the final analysis, a new jail in a new location will be the answer. Part of the land the current facility lies on is in the flood plain and “you can’t build there.”

Plus, “we’re using virtually all of the existing space now.”

Because of conditions and jail overcrowding, Ratliff has said the county is currently spending between $200,000 and $300,000 each year to house inmates in other facilities.

Today’s trip is an official meeting of the commissioner’s court and was posted as such.