Governor's veto slows jail annex

Curry County Officials have been working for at least a year and a half to turn a former fitness center into a jail annex that could help relieve crowding at the Adult Detention Center.

Now a veto by Gov. Bill Richardson and high bids from local contractors have put the center’s completion further away than ever.

The former Clovis Fitness Center, in the 800 block of Main Street, could contain housing for working prisoners and isolation cells. But, so far, the county has been unable to afford more than an architect’s plans, jail administrator Don Burdine said Monday.

Richardson vetoed $250,000 intended for the jail improvement March 10, when he vetoed about $14 million for other projects statewide. But bids for the project also were much higher than anticipated, said County Manager Geneva Cooper.

Cooper said the commission’s jail committee members thought they would have enough to complete the project, with about $400,000 from county reserves, plus the $250,000 from the state.

But, after the bids were opened last week, they found that even had they gotten the state money, they would still be short the required amount.

“We think now it will cost a total of about $1.5 million,” she said.

Faced with higher costs and less money than anticipated, commissioners pulled two items related to the annex — cells and toilets — off the agenda for today’s meeting, but they still will discuss ways to pay for the project, Cooper said.

She said she’s been researching funding strategies with the state Department of Finance Administration.

Commissioner Ed Perales, a member of the jail committee, said he wants to continue working on the jail annex, despite the recent setbacks.

“Every time the Legislature gets done, it adds more mandatory sentencing, but it doesn’t provide us with ways to pay for the prisoners. I hope we continue to look for ways to pay for the annex, instead of sending prisoners to Parmer County, Texas. We’re spending more to house prisoners in Parmer County than we are short for this project,” he said.