Flathead County has hired a Denver firm with expertise in jail architecture to explore the feasibility of converting the current County Attorney’s Office space into an overflow addition for the county jail.

Reilly Johnson Architecture will spend the next six weeks determining if it’s possible to use the 4,500 square feet on the second floor of the Justice Center for jail space. The County Attorney’s Office, which houses a number of deputy county attorneys and office staff in addition to the county attorney, will be relocated to the expanded old jail facility next to the main Courthouse in mid-June.

One wall of the adult detention center adjoins the County Attorney’s Office, county Administrator Mike Pence said.

“We’re looking to house a good number of beds in dormitory style,” Pence said, adding that it was Sheriff Chuck Curry’s idea to explore the feasibility of using the soon-to-be-vacated office space. “He requested the commissioners pursue the space for overflow need.

“It wouldn’t supplant the need for a new jail in the future,” Pence said.

Jail overcrowding has become a chronic problem for Flathead County. Built in 1985 to handle 63 prisoners at capacity, the existing county jail was overcrowded by the early 1990s and now typically houses more than 100 prisoners nightly.

Earlier this year the jail at one point housed a record 126 inmates.

Two years ago the county commissioners created a funding mechanism to begin setting aside money for a jail expansion. The county is reclaiming mills not levied from past years and earmarking the new tax revenue for a jail expansion. The additional tax money, to be levied over seven years, is expected to generate close to $10 million.

County officials have acknowledged, however, that by the end of seven years the cost of a new jail could be $30 million or more.

Reilly Johnson Architecture has specialized in the planning and design of “justice” architecture since 1988. The firm is recognized as a regional leader in detention center architecture.

The firm’s preliminary study of the Justice Center space will cost $18,000 and will come out of the professional services portion of the Sheriff’s Office operating budget, Pence said.

Four county officials — Pence, Curry, Commissioner Pam Holmquist and Jail Commander Jenny Root — are headed to a four-day jail planning conference next week in Aurora, Colorado, to learn how to plan for building a new jail.

“This fits right into our deal,” Pence said.

Root completed the successful application to attend the training offered by the National Institute of Corrections.

Pence said the federal government is paying all expenses for the Flathead County team to attend.

“All four positions have to go,” Pence said. “It’s got to be a team.”

Local jurisdictions face a wide variety of challenges when deciding whether to build new jails, the Institute notes on its website.

The National Institute of Corrections provides training, technical assistance and information related to new jail planning.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by email at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.