When York County officials decided to relocate central booking from the judicial center to York County Prison, the move was supposed to improve efficiency and cut costs.
Two years later, the project affecting the place where criminal suspects are first processed is overdue and over budget. Whether it will ultimately save money long-term remains to be seen.
On Wednesday, the Board of Commissioners approved additional overages on the project. According to County Engineer John Klinedinst, the $54,560 contract for CS Davidson and subcontractor Buchart Horn Architects is for contract maintenance and a required extension due to the project’s lateness. He said the hope is it will be completed in May.
After the board’s unanimous vote, Chief Clerk Greg Monskie said the county always has concerns any time a project costs more than anticipated.
“We looked at that long and hard to make sure that the work was necessary. We went through line by line,” Monskie said. “We’re always concerned about [the] cost of projects, but there’s a lot of things that are often out of our hands.”
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None of the commissioners — President Julie Wheeler, Vice President Commissioner Scott Burford, or Commissioner Doug Hoke — responded to requests for comment. Neither did Warden Adam Ogle.
“I believe the relocation will save money and consolidate operations to improve efficiencies,” Hoke, who was the president of the Prison Board of Inspectors during the approval process, said in December 2022, though the precise cost savings have never been elaborated on.
When it was first proposed in 2022, a feasibility study estimated the total cost of the move to be $3.3 million. While it was approved by both the Prison Board of Inspectors and the Board of Commissioners, there was some concern at the time that it could lead to additional travel time for some police agencies. It is currently conducted at the York County Judicial Center.
In February 2022, York Area Regional Police Chief Tim Damon supported the move, saying it would help promote efficiency for police officers. Currently, if a suspect has a medical issue, they must be taken to the hospital for a checkup. That process could be completed at the prison with the prison’s medical staff when the relocation is complete.
Damon did not respond to a request for comment. Neither did Sheriff Rich Keuerleber, who supported the project when it was proposed and voted in favor as a member of the Prison Board of Inspectors.
In May 2023, the total cost grew to $5.7 million when it was approved by the former Board of Commissioners. Klinedinst explained at the time the increased cost was due to supply chain issues and the volatility of the market.
“None of these are excuses, these are just facts,” Klinedinst said. “It may have been low at that time; we’ve evaluated the estimating process. The study itself did have a note in it to warn everyone about the volatility of bidding and the supply chain, and I think that’s actually what happened.”
When Hoke asked Klinedinst if restarting the bid process could help lower the price, Klinedinst said no and that if anything, the price would go up.
And it has. Since August 2023, the county has approved seven change orders for over $289,000 for central booking. That doesn’t include the latest contract, nor does it include other anticipated costs such as the $155,738 contract awarded to ESCO Security for CCTV upgrades in November or the $151,200 awarded to MTS of Alabama for a door control system on Oct. 18.
It’s not the only expense the commissioners approved for York County Prison. Those include:
- A $65,779 contract with Montgomery Technology Systems LLC for camera computers and licensing.
- A $28,600 contract with Montgomery Technology Systems LLC for building entrance card readers.
- A $97,051 contract with Millcreek Fence & Decks LLC for upgrades in security razor wire.
- A $13,886 contract with Axon Enterprises for body cameras and licensing.
- A $4,058 contract with Axon Enterprises for new tasers.
- A $21,532 contract with ESCO Security for annual CCTV camera license renewal.
The commissioners also approved a $2.1 million contract with Germ Solutions for an ActivePure system where air passes through a light system. It will be paid for through the COVID-19 Mitigation Grant award.
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Youth Development Center renovations: The central booking relocation isn’t the only capital project York County is working on.
The county also approved a nearly $1.1 million contract to Dillsburg-based Lobar Associates for renovations to the Youth Development Center. That contract was obtained through the Keystone Purchasing Network, Monskie said.
“That facility is in need of upgrades and some repairs and some refreshing,” Monskie said. “It should be underway shortly.”
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— Reach Matt Enright via email at menright@yorkdispatch.com or via Twitter at @Matthew_Enright.
