The state is moving ahead with its plan to replace O’ahu’s aging jail for pre-trial detainees and those will less than a year sentence.
Governor David Ige accepted the Halawa Animal Quarantine Station site for construction of a new replacement facility for the O’ahu Community Correctional Center: O-triple-C.
“The current cost is estimated at $525-million and, obviously, we’d be looking at G.O. Bond funding is one option and Public-Private Partnership is the other, where we would engage a private sector partner.”
Funding will provide for the relocation and construction of a new, smaller 17-million dollar Animal Quarantine Station at the site. Another 40 million dollars has been appropriated to expand the Women’s Community Correctional Center in Kailua. Public Safety Department director, Nolan Espinda, says the goal is the most efficient use of resources.
“Currently, the capacity at O-triple-C is 954. Today’s population count was 1,222. The new institution we’re planning on is for 1,335 inmates. We want it to be as economically and efficiently designed as possible, to keep down the primary cost of running and institution which is manpower.”
O-triple-C is currently staffed by 411 adult corrections officers and 150 civilian employees. The new facility would not require additional staff or layoffs. Department of Accounting and General Services comptroller, Roderick Becker, says the target completion date for the half-a-billion dollar construction project is five years.
“The mid-point of construction is 2022 and completion of the facility should be in 2023. At that point, we would be transferring the inmates to the new facility.”
Governor Ige says once funding is secured from the legislature and construction begins, he will engage in talks with community and development partners to work out a future plan for the old OCCC Dillingham-Pu’uhale property.
“Moving OCCC to Halawa frees up the land along the rail route to be used for new economic development, affordable housing and open space as envisioned by the Kalihi community.”
The new jail will not affect the more than 17-hundred inmates currently housed at mainland facilities. Wayne Yoshioka, HPR News.
