Potential jail sites down to two

By Karissa Minn

kminn@salisburypost.com

The county jail annex committee has narrowed potential jail sites to two locations, and Rowan County Manager Gary Page said he hopes to move forward with one Monday.

The Rowan County Board of Commissioners will discuss the sites at 4 p.m. Monday at the Cohen Administrative Offices Building, 130 W. Innes St.

Page plans to recommend pursuing a land trade with John Leatherman for a 24.3-acre property on Henderson Grove Church Road. The land would cost about $547,000 to purchase, but Leatherman has said he is open to a trade.

"We would have to put a waterline under the railroad at Henderson Grove Church Road, but we would save having to buy land," Page said Thursday.

The site is located within 3 miles of the Rowan County Courthouse, meeting one of the committee's stated requirements for a jail annex.

Another potential site is located about 5.8 miles from the courthouse. The 29-acre property on Grace Church Road is owned by David Clark.

Page said Clark is not interested in a trade but is prepared to sell his land immediately for $406,000. The property already has access to water, so the county would save on the cost of utilities.

"He's got 30 acres zoned commercial business that are adjacent to a North Carolina correctional center," Page said.

He said that a site within 3 miles of the courthouse would be preferable, but 6 miles still isn't far. Currently, the county houses between 30 and 35 prisoners about 60 miles away in Montgomery County.

The total site and utility cost for Clark's property would be about $658,000, compared to $825,000 if the county were to purchase Leatherman's property.

A land trade with Leatherman would save the county about $379,000 compared to a purchase of Clark's property. The county would offer Leatherman an amount of land of equal value on Heilig Road, Page said.

"We told the board it would probably cost around $6 million to build this jail, plus whatever the cost of the land was," he said. "If we buy from Mr. Clark, it would probably be in the $6.4 million to $6.5 million range. If we trade with Mr. Leatherman, then we're still around our $6 million number."

Once a site is chosen, property appraisals and environmental assessments will take four to six weeks, Page said. After that, negotiations will begin.

The jail annex would initially provide 160 beds, in addition to the 210 beds at the current detention facility. This would allow the county to comfortably meet the current bed space demand of 320.

The facility could be expanded three times as needed, for a total capacity of 640.

"We're hoping this will meet our needs for the next 20 to 25 years," Page said.Also at Monday's meeting, commissioners plan to:

- Accept funds for the Strengthening Families Grant Proposal and approve a partnership with the Adolescent & Family Enrichment Council (AFEC) for implementation of the program.

The Rowan County Health Department has been awarded a $50,000 grant by the Women's and Children's Health section of the N.C. Division of Public Health.

The AFEC will use the funds to deliver the Strengthening Families Program to Health Link clients and additional services to low-income women of childbearing age with children up to 5 years old. Health Link staff also will receive training in the program.

- Hold a public hearing for proposed amendments to Article II (Personnel) of the Rowan County Code of Ordinances to reflect a reorganization of the Department of Administration and Human Resources.

- Set a public hearing for Feb. 15 for the fiscal year 2010-11 action plan for the Cabarrus/Iredell/Rowan HOME Consortium. The program will focus exclusively on housing rehabilitation in the county, excluding municipal jurisdictions.