McAtee said the county anticipates the PCJC will be operative near the end of fall 2022.
David McAtee, Yavapai County public information officer for the Board of Supervisors, told Quad Cities Business News that the PCJC is on target and on budget, and should be completed on schedule, barring any major supply chain issues or unexpected complications.
Described as the most costly county project the county has ever launched, the $63.1 million PCJC will include a complex of interconnecting buildings, some multi-story, that includes two courtrooms, a 152-bed jail and a Connections Center, which will serve as a site for providing resources for inmates who will be released to re-enter the community.
“We’re rather proud of this plan,” McAtee said. “It’s a new concept and is being viewed within the state as the Yavapai County System for handling county judicial matters.
McAtee said the county anticipates the PCJC will be operative near the end of fall 2022.
McAtee was echoed by Nicholas Schnabel, the project superintendent for the contractor Hensel-Phelps. Schnabel, who had experience as project coordinator for construction of the Maricopa County Jail located on Durango Street in Phoenix, said the facilities in Prescott are unique. He noted that because it has all the multiple services in one place, PCJC is distinctly different and being observed carefully.
Current plans are that the PCJC will be the jail for inmates with short-term stays, 14 days or so. Longer-term inmates will be at the Camp Verde jail, which has 664 beds. Inmates with terms of more than a year likely will be sent to a prison in the state.
Recently named YC BOS chairwoman Mary Mallory has said she is proud the project is moving forward.
New Employees Needed
The 24% increase in prisoner capacity because of the addition of the PCJC means the operational budget will increase from $21 million to $26.7 million. Those dollars will cover the costs of 34 new jail employees from January to June 2022. The new positions are in addition to the 15 detention officers that the BOS approved at its meeting in July 2021.
Among the new jobs are: jail commander, detention lieutenant, business manager, seven detention sergeants, six detention officers, 15 detention support specialists, a project coordinator and two background investigators.
More positions will be added later in 2022. The National Institute of Corrections Staffing model recommends that a corrections center of this size needs at least 107 positions to operate. Many of those positions will be transfers from other county sites.
Job applicants are being sought in an extensive recruiting campaign that includes job fairs, the internet and billboards.
In order to keep the public updated about progress on the project, the county has created a website, which includes videos of key county personnel telling of the long-term need for a new facility and how extensive planning has occurred. Sheriff Scott Mascher describes how initial planning for a new jail began at least 10 years ago. Mascher praises the idea of having courtrooms and jails and the Connection Center in Prescott, saying it will save the county thousands of dollars in transportation costs.
“I really think it’s important that people understand the history of this project,” said immediate past BOS chairman Craig Brown. “There’s a long history to it, there was long-term planning and it’s coming about now when it is needed.” QCBN
By Ray Newton, QCBN
For more information, visit yavapaijustice.com.