Cuyahoga County could spend about $894 million on its new jail in Garfield Heights, according to the proposed guaranteed maximum price presented to council this week.
Rhode Island-based construction company Gilbane will build the jail with costs estimated at $802 million.
The county will cover costs like utilities, permitting, insurance and other expenses, totaling about $92 million.
Once the price is approved by council and bonds are issued to pay for construction, work will start right away, said project manager Jeffrey Appelbaum.
鈥淭his is a critical time," Appelbaum said. "It鈥檚 like a piece of music that comes to a crescendo. We鈥檙e there."
The jail and neighboring sheriff鈥檚 administrative building will have 1900 beds. A recently completed county study estimates the county will save $10 million a year operating the new facility, based on needing fewer corrections officers to oversee detainees.
Appelbaum says the goal is to begin paying for construction at the Garfield Heights site in June.
County council has paused issuing the bonds to pay for that work because of disputes between the county executive鈥檚 office, county judges and the prosecutor鈥檚 office, though a tentative agreement with the judges was reached Tuesday.
According to a press release, the county executive will spend $150 million on upgrades at the Justice Center in Downtown Cleveland over the next six years.
The judges had threatened legal action against the county executive鈥檚 office to ensure the courthouse was not neglected.
The courthouse and jail currently share a site in Downtown Cleveland, with plans to eventually move the courts into a new building downtown.
It鈥檚 unclear where the money will come from, but according to Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne's office, there鈥檚 an agreement to 鈥渆stablish a guaranteed stream of funds to continue thereafter for ongoing repair and maintenance to the Court鈥檚 facilities.鈥�
The county is paying off the debt on the jail through a 0.25% sales tax. Council is also considering legislation that would limit the use of that revenue to the jail and courthouse.
Construction of the jail is expected to last at least into 2029. There is no plan yet for building a new courthouse or moving to another building.
