Posted on Wed, Dec. 02, 2009

Sedgwick County officials — from commissioners and judges to the manager and sheriff — have toured an industrial site near Hydraulic and Murdock that they say could be a good spot for a work release center.

But Lavonta Williams, whose Wichita City Council district includes the area, said a minimum-security facility for inmates allowed to go to a job is not a good fit for the neighborhood.

The 1600 E. Murdock site, just off of I-135, has two buildings — one 47,392 square feet that is a mix of manufacturing and office space and one 14,884 square feet. It is listed for sale at $1.6 million and was most recently valued, according to county property records, at $849,900.

The property, owned by Michaelis Oil and most recently home to Nordam Group, is fairly secluded from housing. It is zoned industrial and is fenced. Washington Accelerated Elementary School is a few blocks south at Hydraulic and Central.

Commissioner Gwen Welshimer said she and fellow board member Kelly Parks found the site. The county has toured a few places in the past year.

Meanwhile, Commissioner Karl Peterjohn said the Kansas Coliseum complex might be an option for a work release center.

The county is struggling with jail overcrowding. Last year, commissioners halted plans to build a $54 million jail expansion so they could reduce property taxes.

The current work release facility at Harry and McLean is overcrowded, and there's a waiting list to get on work release.

Welshimer said she thought the buildings at Hydraulic and Murdock could be repurposed for 500 to 600 beds for inmates on work release or other minimum-security programs.

"Judges want better choices on where they can send folks" besides jail, Welshimer said Tuesday. "But I don't think we can find anything in this city that they're going to let us use."

Reluctance to accept

Williams said she understands the county faces a challenge, but she doesn't think people in her district will accept a work release facility.

"There are three to four churches in that area," she said. "It's an older community, and the school is a concern for me because the bus (city buses) lets off at Central."

Williams said she already has talked to ministers in the area, and even though they do outreach work for prisoners, "they don't think that's the right place."

"As a community, I know that's not what they want to see. If it persists further, I'm sure you'll hear some more things from the community. They're just beginning to make their voices known."

Williams said she planned to attend a regularly scheduled meeting today between city and county leaders.

"I know we do have that problem of overcrowding," she said. "Where do you put these things? I have no idea. But District 1 already has one, run by the state, across from the arena."

That work release center, part of the Kansas Department of Corrections' Winfield Correctional Facility, is an all-male minimum-security prison at Emporia and Waterman across from Intrust Bank Arena. Its capacity is 250 inmates.

Site might be usable

Parks maintains the site near Hydraulic and Murdock provides a wonderful opportunity for the county to begin to deal with jail overcrowding by diverting more inmates to programs such as work release.

"These people aren't murderers," he said. "We're not saying we're going to put hard-core criminals in there.

"I think they need to look at more than just saying I don't want a jail in my neighborhood. They need to look at the big picture."

The site would require a conditional use permit from the city. The county has not yet requested one or made an offer on the site.

Sheriff Robert Hinshaw said the site has potential.

Commissioner Tim Norton said he and colleague Dave Unruh looked at the site but did not go inside.

Norton said he thought the site "could be usable" but said the county needs to "be very thoughtful before we design something that may or may not solve the jail's population."

He thought the county would have a hard time persuading the city to give its approval.

"If they have a hard time siting the Lord's Diner, we would have a hard time siting a work release center," he said, alluding to recent efforts to put a center that would serve free dinners at 21st and Grove. The Lord's Diner, in the face of community pressure, withdrew its plans.

Peterjohn said he thought the site had possibilities, but "there are a number of questions that were raised that I don't know have been fully addressed" such as the cost of remodeling the two buildings to accommodate inmates.

"I'm thinking there may be other options that need to be considered before we decide to proceed" with an offer, he said.

He offered the Kansas Coliseum as a potential site and expanding the current work release center as options.

"We have over 208 acres out there," Peterjohn said of the Coliseum complex. "Several people have made comments about turning Britt Brown into a public safety center that might have detention-related facilities tied to it. Or we could build something from scratch."

The county will have to look at all the pros and cons, he said.

"My primary focus has been to keep this community as safe as possible at the most reasonable price as possible," Peterjohn said.

Reach Deb Gruver at 316-268-6400 or dgruver@wichitaeagle.com.