Jan. 18—BEMIDJI — Several topics relating to the design of the new Beltrami County Jail were voted on by the

Board of Commissioners

during its meeting on Tuesday, including increasing the number of beds from 242 to 243.

The board also considered whether or not to include an outdoor recreation space or a sweat lodge in the jail’s design, both of which were voted against by the majority.

When a final vote was taken to decide the timeline for the design of the jail, the commissioners chose to pursue the fastest option that would hopefully reduce the costs of the project, which has been budgeted for $80 million.

Not every commissioner agreed on this decision, as District 2 Commissioner Joe Gould and District 4 Commissioner Tim Sumner both opposed increasing the bed count and foregoing outdoor space and a sweat lodge.

When the motion was made to recommend no outdoor recreation space be included in the design, Gould expressed his opposition.

“We’re only going to increase the likelihood of state bonding dollars by including an outdoor space, (and) I think it would go a long way for inmates’ mental health,” he said.

Other commissioners were concerned about the cost and not sold on the chance it would increase the probability of state funding.

“We have no guarantees of additional money,” said District 3 Commissioner Richard Anderson, “but if we make that an option and build that, I know we’re going to spend money.”

District 5 Commissioner John Carlson questioned how much use the space would receive if it was included, noting that the time individuals are incarcerated in the county jail averages 13 days. He also noted that the design includes an indoor recreational space.

“This is a county jail, it’s not a prison,” Carlson said. “It’s a jail with a limited amount of time spent there, that’s the reason why some extra space was put indoors knowing it would be more cost-effective than outdoors.”

A motion to not include outdoor space in the jail’s design passed 3-2, with Sumner and Gould in opposition. The vote to not include a sweat lodge passed with the same margins.

The question of whether to increase the bed capacity from 242 to 243 was also presented to the board, with the current design of the facility allowing for 243 if each stacking cell is double-bunked. The alternative to the increase would have been to have one cell with a single bed.

This vote to increase the capacity similarly passed 3-2, with Sumner and Gould opposed. Gould explained that he would like to see the approximately $5,000 in savings from keeping it at 242 beds used in jail programming for the first year.

Once these items were voted on by the board, it was also presented with several spending options for design and construction timelines.

These included an early bid package and design which could allow construction to begin as early as this summer. The other option was to wait for the full design to be completed before bids were sent out.

All of the board favored the initial option, noting the savings it could provide the county.

“The earlier we can get this project done the more we’re going to save on the total project,” Anderson said.

When it came to a vote, the fastest option passed unanimously.

Beltrami County’s current jail was found to no longer meet Minnesota Department of Corrections requirements in 2019. After researching the options, the county board unanimously voted in favor of building a new jail

in November 2022

.

The county closed on a location for the new jail in late December, with a property located on Pioneer Street Southwest. Recently, the

residents of the county voted

to fund the jail through a local option sales tax, rather than increased property taxes.

The commissioners also heard from Northern Township as it continues to pursue the creation of its own water and sewer system.

This had initially been discussed as a possible partnership between the township and the city of Bemidji, but this option

fell through in May 2023.

Since then the township has been looking at options it can pursue independently, and it’s found an option that it’s looking for county support on.

“We have funds in hand, and we also think we have the perfect site where we’d love to put a pond-type system,” shared Chris Lahn, a township supervisor.

The property in question is on the east side of Lake Bemidji and is owned by the Department of Natural Resources in a school trust fund. However, the township hasn’t had luck in its discussions with the DNR.

“We’re running into a little bit of resistance trying to secure the land itself,” Lahn explained.

With formal support from Beltrami County, Lahn hopes that this will change. He also discussed the possibility of partnering with the county to help secure the land.

This could involve the county and the DNR doing a land swap, with Northern Township then leasing or purchasing the land from the county.

While no decisions were made on that possible future, the commission did approve a resolution of support for Northern Township’s plan as a part of its consent agenda.