A new jail and $9.5 million criminal justice complex under construction in Richfield is expected to take a little pressure off the Utah Department of Correction's need for housing state inmates.
It will be completed in mid-1995.The facility, under construction on the west side of U-118 at 800 E. 300 North, will have a capacity of 122 inmates with 46 cells and four dormitories. Indoor and outdoor recreation facilities will be provided along with a laundry for inmates and visitation areas.
Construction of the 70,000-square-foot complex, which includes two buildings, is on schedule. The W.P. Harlan firm of Salt Lake City submitted the low bid of $7,319,000. Bids were opened April 5, and the contractor was allowed 400 calendar days for completion.
Two buildings will be connected by a secure passageway so that prisoners can easily be shuffled from the jail for court proceedings. The jail will be in one building, while the other will provide space for the Department of Corrections, the Division of Youth Corrections, Utah Highway Patrol and the Sevier County sheriff and attorney offices.
Two courtrooms will serve the 6th Judicial District with space for three judges. A combination training room and auditorium will be used by building tenants and other agencies.
Sevier County will own the facility. But a large part of its costs will be offset through reimbursement from the state for housing prison inmates and from leases with other state entities.
Nearly half of the initial financing is through a loan of $4.4 million with the Farmers Home Administration. A Community Impact Board loan of $2.13 million was also obtained at 3 percent interest.
The CIB also approved a grant of $1.78 million, while Zion National Bank lent $1.7 million. Sevier County's coffers are being tapped for between $275,000 and $300,000, according to County Clerk Steven Wall.
County commissioners note that taxes were not raised to finance the criminal justice complex.
Space in the county courthouse now occupied by the sheriff's and attorney's offices as well as the jail will be available for other county offices. Wall said expansion is needed and the county is also lacking storage facilities.
The architect for the project is Gillies Stansky Brems and Smith of Salt Lake City. Jones and DeMille of Richfield was contracted for engineering work.