$60 million courthouse, jail structure rises for all to see

By Denise Holley
Published Friday, July 17, 2009 9:58 AM MDT

Gray steel frames of the $60 million Santa Cruz County jail and courthouse are taking shape on the hillside below the present government complex, eight months after contractor CORE Construction broke ground on the project. Steve Shields, CORE’s project manager, predicts the buildings will be ready to occupy in November 2010.

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Young & Sons of Tucson, an earthmoving company, carved the building pads from the rugged and steep terrain. Now the company is busy finishing a road from North Grand Avenue that will take drivers to the jail building.

Triad Steel Fabricators of Wickenburg is providing structural steel for the building frames, Shields said. “You can get a lot straighter wall with metal studs.”

About 100 workers are busy each day on the site, and at least 40 of them are local, Shields said. “In every trade out there, there’s at least one local person.”

This week, Otero Brothers Electric of Tubac was scheduled to supply temporary electric service for the construction, Shields said. He predicted a lot more work for locals when interior work begins in the first quarter of 2010.

The courthouse is designated as Building A, Shields said. Building B, the juvenile detention facility, lies to the north. It will be connected to Building C, the medical unit and women’s facility, and Building D, the adult male detention and sheriff’s office.

A fenced walkway with entrances from buildings B, C and D will allow officers to escort inmates to court hearings without coming into contact with the public, Shields said.

“Jails are expensive because of the electronics,” Shields said, referring to the elaborate security systems.

Although the buildings are equipped with elevators, “you have to build stairs all the way to the top in case the elevators don’t work,” he said.

The buildings lie in the path of water runoff from the hill above, but any water will be diverted by a storm sewer system and good erosion control, Shields said. “Almost all the exposed areas will be covered with plants, landscaping, decomposed granite of rip-rap (large rocks).”

When the buildings are ready, Young & Sons will add an additional two inches of asphalt to the access road, build a perimeter road and pave the parking lots, Shields said.

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Comments

Ridiculous wrote on Jul 30, 2009 3:23 PM:

" first off, why didnt the nogales residents have a say in this? why couldnt we vote on having this building built.? and i agree with the "NEW RESIDENT" nogales has a very poor and old hospital that does not have enough rooms!!
why doesnt the mayor of nogales get things straight??? put money into things that residents really need... why not built a state of the art hospital on top of the hill where everyone can see and be proud of not a jail where everyone is going to be ashamed to say that they live in nogales.
think about all the businesses, neighborhoods, elementary schools, etc... that are around this jail.. whats going to happen if an inmate escapes? whos going to be in danger ? WE ARE!!!! wwhy does nogales want to be known as the city that has a jail?

WAY TO PUT NOGALES ON THE MAP!!!! NOOOT!!!!! "

J wrote on Jul 24, 2009 12:04 PM:

" What I don't understand is county employees are getting laid off and there is word that the county has no money and that there will be more layoffs. How is it that there is money to built a state of the art jail and then to top it off on top of the hill where everyone can see it, like if was something nogales should be proud off. "

New resident wrote on Jul 19, 2009 11:34 PM:

" The other day I visited Holy Cross Hospital/Carondolet. I had trouble finding it (luckily it wasn't a life threatening situation), I was looking for a tall building like the new county jail, but all I found was a 1 story building with a lack of equipment, specialists, nurses, and extra patients waiting a long time to be attended. Some were placed on beds located in the hallway while others were already occupying the beds in the 4 rooms at the emergency room. Does this town actually have more criminals than people who need emergency care? Really, how many persons are actually going to be serving time in the new jail and how many persons actually get attended daily at the emergency room. A hospital at a hill where everyone can see it, would probably be better. In reference to the money being spent for the new jail, if the USA legalized some illicit drugs, like other countries, the crime rate would drastically drop and this money could be used to provide Nogalians and surrounding residents with better medical attention. "

former resident wrote on Jul 17, 2009 11:09 PM:

" I was in Nogales the other day and I coudn't believe my eyes. This big structure sticking out on top of a hill where everyone could see it, then I asked my brother and he told me that it was going to be a jail. Why would you put a jail on top of a hill like it's Nogales brightest idea and/or project. I can understand the courthouse but a jail???? "

J. Oliver wrote on Jul 17, 2009 2:46 PM:

" Who made the decision to name the building after Ed Pastor?

Was this decision made on money Ed Pastor has awarded the County/City?

What happened to "County Jail" name? "

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