WHATCOM COUNTY, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Discussions are underway to ensure critical services will be added to the new Whatcom County Jail.
County council members were presented with updated estimates on what re-adding those services would look like during a Special Committee of the Whole meeting Tuesday, Aug. 4.
The council made a request last week to reevaluate the inclusion of a second courtroom and reentry services.
My Bellingham Now previously reported that both services were cut from the project during a June update.
Adam Johnson, a project manager with engineering consultant STV, said that including the courtroom and reentry options would come at an additional cost of $4.3 million.
Johnson suggested some of the space could be repurposed for those demands by reducing the size of the kitchen or lowering the total amount of beds in the facility.
He adds that uncertainty looms over alternative sources of funding, which would cover the amount needed to keep the new jail within its budget.
