POUGHKEEPSIE – After more than a decade of debate, the new Dutchess County Jail, known as the Dutchess County Justice & Transition Center (JTC), is under construction next to the Dutchess County Law Enforcement Center which houses the new offices of the sheriff in Poughkeepsie.
A total of $154 million in funding for the project was approved by the county legislature in 2016.
As of mid-March of this year, the sheriff’s former office building had been demolished and removed, making way for the new JTC. Construction is continuing on schedule under the direction of the Turner Construction Company.
Dutchess County Sheriff Butch Anderson’s agency has been plagued by issues related to an aging jail that was deemed inefficient and lacking proper safety requirements for years. The new JTC is being designed to overcome those obstacles. “We are very excited about the JTC project. Our transition team is working diligently with the engineers and architects to ensure we provide Dutchess County with a modern correctional facility that prioritizes a safe environment for our staff and inmate population as well as provide enhanced programs to reduce recidivism,” he said.
The Pike Company, a sub-contractor, has already formed the foundations for the new facility and the stair-tower/elevator shafts are nearly completed. The towers are visible from both North Hamilton Street and Parker Avenue.
Structural concrete grade beams to strengthen the foundation and shear walls are being installed in preparation for the building’s structural steel framework, which is scheduled to begin in April. The structural work will continue through July of this year. The new building, currently on-time and under-budget, according to county officials, is expected to be completed in May of 2023.
Following review and approval by the State Commission on Corrections, inmates currently housed in the existing 1985 and 1994 jail buildings will begin transferring into the new JTC building. This process will take approximately three months to complete. It is expected that by August of 2023 all inmates will be housed in the new JTC building. Demolition of the 1984 Jail building will begin in August 2023 and is slated to be complete in November 2023.
Aesthetically, site restoration and construction of the parking lots, landscaping, and other ancillary site amenities will occur between June 2023 and May 2024. The total project is expected to be finished in May or June of 2024.
County Executive Marc Molinaro told Mid-Hudson News that the JTC remains within budget and is expected to be well with the $154.16 million funding authorized by the county legislators in 2016.
Molinaro, even prior to becoming county executive, advocated for additional mental health programming as part of the justice system. Affirming his commitment to modern programming he said, “The new Dutchess County Justice and Transition Center will be a model for the criminal justice system – enabling us to have the facility and space to expand our renowned alternatives to incarceration and restorative justice programs while increasing public safety and delivering millions of dollars in savings to taxpayers with a safer, more efficient facility that will help individuals get the support and services they need to successfully return to the community.”
When the funding proposal was approved in 2016, the county anticipated long-term savings compared to the operational costs of the current jail. “When completed, the total operational costs of the JTC are estimated to be $13.6 million less than the projected costs to continue to operate the current facility and house inmates in other facilities,” Molinaro said.
Debt service payments, slated to begin this year, are projected at $9.9 million annually for JTC. When lobbying for the funding in 2016, Molinaro told lawmakers that when factoring in debt service costs that would be required at the current jail and sheriff’s office facilities for necessary maintenance, the total annual cost savings for taxpayers equate to $5.4 million annually for the new facility.
NEWS STORY PROVIDED BY: Mid Hudson News -www.midhudsonnews.com