CLEVELAND — It’s been a battle for years. And the latest proposed location for the Cuyahoga County jail is once again facing pushback from community leaders and activists.
Thursday, County Executive Chris Ronayne presented his recommendations to County Council members for a facility at a site in Garfield Heights. He’s proposing a jail campus, along with Sheriff’s offices, parking and other auxiliary services.
“I saw an opportunity, and that’s why I'm here today proposing this, to turn the corner with you,” Ronayne told the Committee of the Whole.
The proposed site includes more than 72 acres of rolling fields and unused property between Granger Road, Transportation Blvd. and I-480 in Garfield Heights. It would cost the county $38.7 million to purchase the land, which was a sharp increase of $22 million from a previous quote of a smaller portion of the same property.
“We’ve got to call balls and strikes here about what’s going on. I need to understand the sticker shock of close to 40 million dollars,” said Pernel Jones, Jr., the Cuyahoga County Council president.
Ronayne argued the cost is less than another top choice voted down by the steering committee in October. Some council members are still in favor of locating the jail at Transportation Road in Cleveland. The proposal was narrowly defeated because of environmental concerns at the former industrial property, which Ronayne said would have been costly to remediate.
Consultants also pointed out the Transportation Road location would offer fewer buildable acres compared to the Garfield Heights site. Ronayne said the space would allow for services for behavioral health, job training and re-entry assistance for incarcerated individuals.
“The highest reason for our being here today is the health and well-being of those in our custody,” Ronayne said at the meeting.
Several activist groups spoke during public comment at Thursday’s meeting. Many expressed concern that the County isn’t considering community input enough. Some believe funding for services at a jail complex would be better spent helping those individuals before they’re incarcerated.
“Thinking about the kind of policy changes and the kind of investments we need to make so we can hold families together and not rip them apart, I think should be the first thing on our minds,” said Josiah Quarles, the Director of Organizing and Advocacy at the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless (NEOCH).
In 2018, a U.S. Marshals report called the current facility the “worst jail in the country,” with an inspection detailing “inhumane conditions,” understaffing and overcrowding.
Quarles recognizes the need for a new building but said much could be done right now to address the jail’s current challenges.
“That facility’s not going to materialize right now,” he said of the proposals. “So I think a real emphasis on the people who are there right now would be greatly appreciated.”
County leaders ran out of time Thursday to discuss Ronayne’s proposal to extend the countywide sales tax another 40 years to help pay for a new jail.
The County Council will resume its discussions during its July 18 meeting.
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