by Dave Baumeister, county correspondent
SIOUX FALLS – Most of the two hour and 10-minute Minnehaha County Commission meeting on Tuesday, May 4, was filled with figures on county jail projections and traffic patterns.
Bill Garnos, a Watertown native and national jail consultant, currently in Gladstone, Mo., last did a study on Minnehaha County jail activity in 2013.
At this meeting, he gave a thorough presentation on past, current and future jail trends in the county.
According to Garnos, the newly refurbished Minnehaha County jail is staffed for and uses an average of 580 beds per day.
Another 128 beds are unoccupied, as there is no need and no staff to fill them at the present time.
But with the projected numbers for the future, Garnos doesn’t think it will be long before those beds are needed.
Along with housing Minnehaha County inmates, the jail also takes in prisoners from Lincoln and other South Dakota counties, as well as a small number of federal prisoners.
In looking at the future of any facility, Garnos said he gauges needed improvements on an 85% capacity, and he expects Minnehaha to be at that level by 2024, based on present usage and trends.
He explained that his 85% level is based not just on available beds, but available beds in the right places.
For example, just looking at the number of available beds doesn’t account for placement of specific genders or types of prisoners, i.e. a maximum custody inmate cannot be housed in a dormitory setting.
Of the beds currently in use here, 76 are in single cells, 244 are in doubles and 260 are dormitory beds.
While more people can be fit into a dorm setting at a cheaper cost, only inmates with a lower security risk can be placed there safely.
The purpose of Garnos’ presentation was not to determine action, but to gather numbers and information for future needs.
The 2024 85% capacity figures are based on projections of housing as it stands now.
But if nothing else develops in the next 10 years, the numbers indicate the jail will no longer be able to hold prisoners from outside of Minnehaha County, as it will be at the 85% with just county inmates.
Currently, the county makes money on housing other prisoners with the per diem rate of $97.34.
Roundabout safety
Although Gov. Kristi Noem says she doesn’t like roundabouts, Assistant Highway Superintendent Shannon Schultz pointed out the safety of those interchanges over the traditional 90-degree turn intersections when he discussed future plans for County Road 130 (471st Ave./Marion Road) corridor plans for Foundation Park north of Sioux Falls and south of Crooks.
The industrial park, which will be the future home for Amazon and Schwann’s, among other businesses, will greatly increase the traffic along that road.
As of now, Schultz said the plans were to put in at least one roundabout interchange on that road.
Although South Dakota drivers are still getting use to them, Schultz explained that the number of severe crashes at roundabouts sees a reduction of 85 to 90% over traditional intersections.
Commissioner Jeff Barth mentioned, and Schultz agreed, that even despite their safety factor, Noem has said she is against new roundabout interchanges.
Because of the way people turn, there are 12 possible areas for collisions at 90-degree-turn intersections, but with a roundabout, there are only four areas.
He explained that this and other things will be discussed at a public meeting on June 1 at the Crooks Community Center.
The next commission meeting will be at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, May 18, at the Minnehaha County Administration Building, 6th and Minnesota in Sioux Falls.
