The suit accuses defendants of denying the plaintiff the right to be heard at a public meeting and cites a March 2008 County Commission meeting in which Ms. Browning was asked to leave and a June 2008 meeting in which Browning was "violently arrested and charged with disrupting a lawful meeting."
The suit asks that a.) the defendants be restrained from entering into any contract with the Carter Gobel Lee (CGL) engineering firm for architectural and design services for jail expansion in and around the existing County Detention Center without a full design study by staff; b.) that defendants be restrained from using any SPLOST funds for expansion of the Glynn County Detention Center at the downtown Brunswick location "where it has been determined impossible (to build the jail)"; and c.) that defendants proceed with plans for the detention center built at a Glynn County location where construction is feasible.
The plaintiff's documents cited portions of a September 2006 CGL report to the county commission that discussed the feasibility of expanding the Detention Center in its present downtown location and the limitations for future expansion that the downtown site presented.
The law suit noted that the CGL report also recommended that the jail be built at a different site that could be "master planned for long-term future growth."
The county commission complied with Judge Wood's request to defer any jail related action during their Thursday, March 4 meeting and removed the two jail expansion items from its agenda.
In a March 1, 2010 memo to the Board of Commissioners, County Administrator Charles Stewart recommended that the commissioners accept CGL's proposal ($431,988) to perform architectural and design services for the existing Detention Center expansion; to exempt procurement of the (CGL) services from bidding requirements citing the County Ordinance that allows for certain exemptions; and direct staff to solicit construction proposals.
CGL's cost estimate on the expansion was $9 million and would add 120 beds for female inmates (maximum security setting), new laundry area, remodel the existing Detention Center to provide six medical infirmary beds, remodel booking area, update the kitchen area, and keep the Sheriff's administration area in its current space.
The commission was ready to vote on the jail items at its Thursday, March 4 meeting: the expansion design, accepting the CGL proposal, authorize staff to solicit construction proposals.
Judge Wood requested that the commission defer action on the jail decision for seven days while she reviews the case. Judge Wood gave the Commission until noon on Thursday to respond to her request.
The commission met at 9 a.m. Thursday in a special called meeting and went directly into Executive Session to discuss Judge Wood's request. In a unanimous vote after the executive session, the commission decided to pull the items from the agenda prior to the evening meeting. No date was set for future action.
Another aspect of the jail situation is a proposal by architect Jim Ingram of IPG, Incorporated.
Ingram was hired by the county as the architect to design the original, large jail expansion. Ingram was paid about $400,000 for the work. The original design was based on the City relinquishing a portion of I Street and specific alley ways.
Since the City has decided not to give up the streets, county discussion has centered around hiring Carter Gobel Lee to design the smaller expansion. A vote to hire CGL was on the Thursday County Commission agenda and removed.
In apparent response to the City's decision not to give up the street, in September 2009 Ingram presented three new jail plans to County Administrator Stewart. However, Stewart did not pass them along to the commissioners.
Stewart testified to this at the hearing on Thursday.
The commissioners found out about the plan when Ingram sent a letter dated March 1, 2010, reiterating his plans, to all the commissioners.
Plan A consists of multiple buildings on the downtown site at a cost of $19 million for 602 beds and three years total construction time.
Plan B calls for demolishing existing jail offices and building a multi story addition in its place. Cost is estimated at $20 million for 602 beds, and three and a half years to build.
Plan C proposes complete new facilities at an unstated county site at a cost of $24 million for 610 bed, ($30 million for 840 beds) and one and a half years construction time.
A figure of $60 million for jail construction has been mentioned and could possibly have come from a June 29, 2009 email from Ingram to Stewart, in which Ingram estimated the cost of a 1,500 bed jail at $55 million to $60 million.
Ingram is part of Ben Slade and Fred Freyer's design team for Glynn Judicial Development, LLC who has proposed a public private partnership to build a new jail outside the city.
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Submitted By:
Rosie Cross
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Submitted:
5/11/2010
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