| Long-Range Construction Plan |
|
|
 |
|
|
Long Range Construction Plan
Background:
The Department of Administrative Services, Office of Economic Analysis, is required to issue an Oregon Corrections Population Forecast every six months occuring each April and October. The Department of Corrections then uses these forecasts for planning and budgeting purposes and to create its Long-Range Construction Plan. Once the Long-Range Construction Plan is updated, it is reported to the Governor’s Office, Legislature and is then shared with impacted communities and other interested parties.
Current Forecast:
The Oregon Prison Population portion of the October 2004 forecast continues to show significant growth in the anticipated inmate population, however, there is little change from the April 2004 forecast. For reference, the inmate population today (10/29/04) is 12,737. The April 2003 forecast identified the need for capacity to house approximately 15,000 inmates by April 2010, the October 2003 forecast advanced that date by a year to April 2009, and the current October 2004 forecast further advances that to October 2008. By the end of the 2005-2007 biennium, the population is projected to be 14,223. That is an increase of 1,486 inmates from that housed by DOC today.
The Legislatively Adopted Budget, based upon the April 2003 forecast, assumed increased use of temporary / emergency beds within existing DOC institutions, plus rental of beds available locally or out-of-state. In addition, we were given the approval to proceed with construction of the 400-bed Warner Creek Correctional Facility. The proposed plan to accommodate this new October forecast continues that plan and targets the number of rental beds needed by July 2005 at 330. Please note: The Department’s policy since 1996 had been to eliminate the use of temporary beds through the construction of new facilities. The budget environment brought about a decision to delay the October 2002 sale of Certificates of Participation to continue that construction program and projects were put on hold. At the Governor’s request, the Department put together the alternative solution using the maximum temporary and emergency beds possible within the institutions which can be safely managed in the short term. That “crowding” is part of this plan.
This plan reflects the need to resume building new institutions to safely house the projected additional inmates - and construction of facilities takes time. For smaller facilities the time from authorization to occupancy is roughly two years, for the large builds, it takes more than three years. Until additional new construction is authorized and completed, the DOC must rely on the use of rental beds. (DOC will be using nearly 1,000 temporary beds plus the local rentals before sufficient base capacity can be built.)
The plan update to accommodate the October 2003 forecast included a request to complete design of the new Madras minimum and Coffee Creek Correctional Facility units – which was approved. The Department has the existing expenditure limitation and COP funds to pay for this effort, resulting from the previous stop work order in Madras, and construction project savings at Coffee Creek. DOC must restart the projects previously approved, but put on hold in the Fall of 2002. We need to bring additional facilities on line as quickly as possible.
DOC received project approval and expenditure limitation for the 100-bed expansion at the Shutter Creek Correctional Institution from the 2001 Legislative Assembly. This project was to be funded by Certificates of Participation, but was one of those put on hold during the Fall of 2002. Part of the updated plan to address the increasing April 2004 inmate forecast was to move ahead with the project. Re-start of that expansion project was approved by the Governor, and the Emergency Board, at the June 2004 meeting. This plan also calls for the re-start of the Madras project. The Department will request authorization and funding to re-start the project from the 2005 legislature. That approval will need to be received by February or early March of 2005 – to mesh with the weather and viable construction season.
Housing for the female inmate population is also a significant challenge. During the planning stages for the Coffee Creek Correctional Facility, the projections indicated there would be sufficient capacity to house females for some time to come. In fact, even the forecast update for October 2000 indicated the final minimum 108 bed unit would not be necessary until September 2008. That has changed. The October 2004 forecast indicates the need for 74 temporary beds to be added within the existing facility and another 15 rental beds in local facilities prior to the end of this 2003-2005 biennium. This updated plan includes moving forward with construction of both a new minimum and two medium units at the Coffee Creek site, which increases capacity by 324 beds. Legislative approval in the February 2005 time frame is also necessary for this project to coincide with the construction season and the necessity to bring the additional capacity on line as soon as possible.
The following summarizes the plan:
|
Location
|
# of Beds
|
Completion Date
April 2004 Forecast
|
Completion Date
October 2004
Forecast
|
Warner Creek Correctional Facility (Lakeview) - Men’s Minimum Security Work Camp
|
400
|
September 2005
|
September 2005
|
Expansion of Shutter Creek Correctional Institution
|
100
|
December 2005
|
December 2005
|
Coffee Creek Correctional Facility – additional minimum dorm for women
|
108
|
July 2006
|
July 2006
|
Madras - Men’s Minimum Security Facility
|
864
|
October 2006
|
October 2006
|
Coffee Creek Correctional Facility – additional medium housing units for women
|
216
|
January 2007
|
January 2007
|
Madras – Men’s Medium Security Beds
|
1,240
|
November 2007
|
November 2007
|
Junction City – Men’s Minimum Security Facility
|
400
|
May 2009
|
October 2009
|
Junction City – Men’s Medium Security Facility
|
1,240
|
April 2010
|
July 2010
|
|
|
|
|
