New Churchill County jail located in Fallon on track

Churchill County’s new detention center is still on target to be completed this fall, and Sletten Construction hosted a tour Monday of its current progress.

“You can see the effort their putting in during cold weather,” said Cliff Van Woert, Churchill County’s building official.

The commissioners and other county officials including representatives from the Churchill County Sheriff’s Office participated in the walk through the structure on 180 W. A St., across the street from the CCSO. Sletten Construction’s Josh Guisti as well as project manager Troy Young led the group through each of the site’s sections and answered questions along with Van Woert.

Van Woert added there are tenting and heating options if needed during construction, and the budget has a $100,000 allotment for those things if appropriate. He also said project savings have included going with stained and sealed concrete for durable flooring instead of porcelain tile or carpet; however, offices will be carpeted, in part for better sound.

In addition to the exterior walls and most of the interior’s, Van Woert said, there were also special security door frames which had been erected.

Guisti said all access features a double-touch requirement for enhanced safety. He added the technology is easy to operate once learned and includes green and red light lights to show open and locked status; there is also individual entry and exit tracking.

Guisti and Young said upon completion there will be a training period as well as a secure deep sweep of the site to eliminate any chance of potential weapons being left behind.

Some of the construction workers have been traveling the region and even the nation for many years, specializing in jails, courthouses and related structures.

The center will initially house 120 beds with room to expand, and the crew was in the process of laying cell tracks. Cells vary in size with the smallest being two-person cells with double bunks in a 12-foot by-7-foot space. The larger size cell (12-by-15) is for four people. The Americans with Disabilities Act cells are about 12-by-12.

There is a state-of-the-art control room and a visitation area as well as a remote, video visitation option for a small fee. Other features include detox cells, two padded cells, medical resources and staff lockers. Bulletproof doors and windows are also being installed.

Sheriff Ben Trotter and the detectives will stay in the current CCSO facility while the other divisions move to the new space including dispatchers, booking personnel and others who provide other support activities.

Sletten is working with its 20-year partner Arrington Watkins Architects on the 39,000-square foot facility that Churchill County Comptroller Alan Kalt has estimated to cost about $17 million.

Funding is from a 32-year loan with a 2.75 percent interest rate. Wells Fargo is funding construction until the U.S. Department of Agriculture of Rural Development takes over.

Started in July 2016, the facility’s projected completion date is October 2017, ahead of the initial plan of December 2017.

Annually, close to the beginning of a new fiscal year, county leaders spend two days touring all departments. Tuesday, officials also took a look at the new senior center (see story Friday).