BEN DORGER, Standard-Examiner file photo

OGDEN — The push for a multimillion-dollar upgrade of the Weber County jail edges ahead as three firms are potentially interested in handling the planning and design work for the overhaul.

Weber County leaders have been discussing the possibility of an upgrade since mid-2021 to expand the jail’s medical facilities and to accommodate more inmates. Moves slowed down last year as several cities boosted property taxes — a tax hike might be needed for a jail upgrade and officials didn’t want to overwhelm the public with talk of new taxes — but the efforts are now picking up.

Weber County Sheriff Ryan Arbon said Friday that the county sought requests for qualifications from firms interested in handling the design work for the jail upgrade and three firms qualified. Now, reps from the three firms will be invited to tour the jail at 1400 Depot Drive, probably next week, ahead of submitting formal proposals to handle the work.

“Everybody gets to look at what we have,” he said. “We get to show our ideas.”

It may be an incremental step in the process, but the stakes are notable. An earlier estimate put the price of upgrading the jail at $62.4 million and county leaders have said they may put the question of whether to go forward to voters since a tax hike would potentially be necessary. County commissioners have allocated $1.5 million for planning and design expenses.

Image supplied, Weber County Sheriff's Office

The proposals from the three firms, if all take part in the process, could be forthcoming in the next four-to-six weeks, Arbon said. The thornier debate — how to pay for an upgrade — would come after a firm is picked and it completes and submits design plans, including price estimates, to county officials.

In a bid to keep the county from assuming too much debt, commissioners have floated the notion of pursuing a general obligation bond to cover at least part of upgrade costs. That would require a vote of support from the public on a ballot question.

The plans, as envisioned, call for building a new jail wing to allow for the expansion of medical and mental health offerings for inmates. The plans also propose construction of two new pods southeast of the existing facility that could house nearly 400 aditional inmates, on top of the current capacity of 888.

A new work-release facility is also envisioned as part of the plans, which could lead to demolition of the Kiesel Facility, the old work-release building adjacent to the Ogden Municipal Building in the city center.

Newsletter