March 29, 2024
Local News

New Ogle County Jail to open sometime in January

Sheriff takes community on guided tours through facility

It took 92,000 blocks and the closing of one city block in Oregon to build the new Ogle County Jail.

Construction on the officially-titled Ogle County Judicial Center Annex has all but concluded in recent weeks, and Ogle County Sheriff Brian VanVIckle led the community on tours Dec. 3 after a ribbon cutting to show taxpayers what their money has yielded.

The jail is slated to open sometime in January 2021, with staff training still in process.

The 42,000 square-foot, 154-bed facility consists of multiple housing blocks utilizing direct supervision methods for both males and females in custody. Areas in the building include public waiting and visitation, video visitation, facility administration, holding and intake, medical, kitchen, laundry, inmate property storage and a vehicular “sally port” for bringing in and moving inmates safely.

VanVickle said the jail was designed with previous practices in mind to keep continuity for personnel.

“For the most part the operations are identical and that’s how we designed it,” VanVickle said. “Even the lobby is the same. When we worked with designers and architects we said, ‘This is how we do it, if there’s a better way, tell us.’ And we came back with the same ones that work for us.”

The project, constructed by Gilbane Building Company, is down to less than 100 items on its punch list after starting out with 700 to do, VanVickle said. Those that toured the facility Thursday were impressed with its size and amenities, the Sheriff said.

Three officers will cover the operations at a time, the same workforce level that covers the old jail. The old jail has 109 beds, 45 less than the new facility. The kitchen is made for 240 inmates, due to it being the hardest part of a facility to remodel if needed.

The average stay at the jail depends, VanVickle. It’s currently shorter due to COVID-19 concerns. There are 254 cameras in the jail. The rigorous door system allows for only certain gates to be open in specific situations. There’s a full-body scanner in the intake room to alleviate body searchers. An indoor, vented recreation room allows for fresh air for inmates.

The project came in $800,000 under budget with no delays, even with COVID-19, VanVickle said. The sheriff has been in office for the entirety of the building’s construction. He said it’s consumed a lot of time, but he’s proud of what’s been accomplished.

“We have a building that a lot of people don’t even realize is a detention center, which I think is important in the community,” VanVickle said. “When you’re in other places and you see buildings stick out, it makes us proud to incorporate it into our campus plan and have it look like the other buildings in town.

“More importantly, it allows us the ability to provide services to inmates and give our deputies a good working environment.”

The new facility is connected to the Ogle County Judicial Center, where court cases are heard, and required the City of Oregon to close the 100 block of South Sixth Street for that construction.