GRAND FORKS – Grand Forks County Sheriff Andy Schneider told commissioners Tuesday that he expects the new addition to the correctional center to be fully operational by August.
Once open, the expansion will add 82 beds to the facility, bringing the facility to a total capacity of over 300. According to Commissioner Bob Rost and Schneider, the facility will likely be completed July 1, but it may not be ready as there will not be enough officers to properly staff the expansion.
The state also has concerns about its ability to provide the staff it will have for programming and case management for the space it’s seeking to lease from the county by July, so August is looking more likely as the earliest the expansion would house state inmates, Schneider said.
That gap between the facility being fit for habitation and being fully staffed could be a boon to the county, Schneider said.
“(In a) quick discussion with some administration at the and our maintenance staff … we could be looking at options potentially utilizing the new pod four to house current inmates in while we do some maintenance in other pods,” Schneider said. “Believe me, there’s some maintenance that needs to be done.”
Contract negotiations between the state and county for the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation using county space are still ongoing. The State’s Attorney’s office, sheriff and Grand Forks Public Health are currently reviewing contract language, but something could be finalized later this summer as the new expansion becomes ready.
Schneider added that the state may have some flexibility on the arrangement as a potential need for additional space locally in northeast North Dakota. Walsh County’s aging jail could be closed by the state due to its age, condition and lack of space, which could add to existing issues of a lack of correctional facilities regionally.
“(DOCR) is well aware that Walsh County is one of our neighbors and they could be in a predicament,” Schneider said.
Schneider also said that the move to the sheriff’s new facilities on the southwest side of Grand Forks in the works. The county’s IT department is working on connecting the facility to state public safety networks. Likely later this week, phone lines will start to be activated.
“We do have a transition plan period that we’re working on over the next couple of weeks to start migrating out there and making sure it works so we can be active out there July 1,” Schneider said.