Sgt. Dennis Cook's New Ontario County Jail Status Report
This is the first edition of the New Jail Status Report. It is the intent of the Chief and the Transition Team to keep the officers of the Jail Division apprised of the developments in the construction of the new facility. It will also include photographs and the activities of the various "Task Force" committees. Anyone who would like to offer suggestions, questions or comments for inclusion in this report, please let us know. The process for building a new jail facility is very lengthy and time consuming. This project was started in 1998 with the creation of the "Jail Project Committee" (JPQ) by the Board of Supervisors.
The original JPC members: Dick Onze - Chairman, Georgia Delaney, Charlie Doniville, Carmen Orlando and Ray Monterieff. Changes in this membership: Wayne Houseman replaced Ray Montcrieff. Dick Onze was replaced by Carmen Orlando as Chairman. Jack Richter was added to fill the Committee. Representatives from various organizations attend the JPC meetings as non-voting members. From the Sheriff's Office, Sheriff Povero, CCO Haskins and Sgt. Cook were regular attendees. In early 1999, the Jail Division created "Task Force" teams. Sgt. Cook was designated the Transition Coordinator to work on various projects. The teams were staffed and organized on May 16, 2000 and consisted of:
All officers were invited to provide input to all of the teams. The Building Design team kicked things off, providing input as to "what we would like" in the new facility. Security, Electronics and Furnishings followed shortly thereafter. Of special note, the Furnishings Team was able to save over $700,000 from the budget. The first "concept" data and drawings arrived from L. Robert Kimball Associates in July 2000. From this point until March 6, 2002, the plans and data have been reviewed and revised many times. Input from the Jail Task Force played a great part in the overall design and operational concept of the facility. On March 7, 2002, the plans to construct a new jail facility and the proposed budget to build it were presented to the Board of Supervisors. 276 beds - $28.75 million.
A ground breaking ceremony was held on April 3, 2002, with approximately 80 attendees. Among those present were members of the Board of Supervisors; Chairman of the Commission of Corrections, Alan Croce; County Administrator, Geoff Astles; NYS Assemblyman, Brian Kolb; Ontario County Planning Department, Tom Harvey; Sheriff Phil Povero and CCO Alice Haskins. Since April 3rd activity has increased at a surprising rate. Construction was moved up 30 days and some elements are as much as 60 days ahead of schedule. Task Force teams have also become very active. Some items from the furnishings list have been ordered, the Staffing study is underway, Security has been working on the Key System for the facility and the Transition Team's office space has been identified and will be moving furniture and equipment in shortly. At the construction site, preliminary groundwork has been done, temporary electric, water and sewer have been installed, the contractor's office is on site, and the major "Cut and Fill" earth moving will be starting in a week This status report will be sent out as items develop and eventually on a weekly basis as the Transition Team gets in to full swing. Your comments are invited... Sgt. Dennis Cook
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