BONNERS FERRY — A private construction company has proposed financing a $27.4 million new jail for Boundary County, offering one possible path forward for an aging county jail.  

However, the proposal carries a measure of risk for the county as ownership of the facility could transfer to the company, turning it into a private jail, if the county fails to make annual payments. The option is one of two before county officials, with the second being the placement of a bond on the ballot for county voters. The bond would require a supermajority of more than two-thirds of voters to pass. 

The option of privatizing financing of the jail was discussed during a meeting with the Boundary County commissioners, Boundary County Sheriff Travis Stolley and Core Construction on March 17.  

Core Construction estimated a new Boundary County Jail would cost $27,432,286 for a 60-bed facility totaling 18,348 square feet. The proposed jail would include housing pods, booking, dispatch, administration and recreation areas and would be located at the Boundary County Annex, though no details about a new jail location have been finalized. 

Core estimated the county would finance the project through a 4.75% loan, resulting in annual payments of about $2 million for 30 to 40 years. The longer the repayment period, the lower the annual payment, and vice versa. 

If the county hired Core and at some point could not pay the remaining balance, employee representatives said ownership of the jail facility could transfer to Core, resulting in the county having to vacate the jail. 

A Core executive told the sheriff and commissioners that in similar situations elsewhere, a public school had to vacate their building and the property was later used by a charter school. 

Due to the potential high cost of a new jail, Stolley said the county might have to look at other alternatives to the proposed plan, including having fewer beds and potentially making the building multiple floors. According to a Core employee, every 1,000 fewer square feet would reduce the project cost by about $1.5 million. 

Discussions with Core are preliminary and nothing was agreed at the meeting beyond continuing talks.  

The Boundary County Jail, which opened in 1980, currently has a capacity of 24 inmates.

During a January tour of the jail, officials found at least one nonfunctioning shower, gravel inside drainpipes, peeling paint and limited space that makes daily operations challenging. In addition, liquid had previously dripped from the ceiling, and narrow hallways made nightly inspections difficult when the inmate population exceeded 24.

According to Boundary County Sheriff’s Office officials, the jail’s repair and maintenance budget for fiscal year 2026 is $15,000. Total expenditures have reached $22,330.14, including $2,350.68 carried over from prior expenditures, putting the budget more than $7,300 over its allocation less than halfway through the fiscal year. 

Core Construction has worked across the country to build and finance projects, including a 5,384-square-foot expansion and remodel of the Coeur d'Alene Police Department headquarters.

Based in Frisco, Texas, Core Construction has more than 1,000 employees. Company representatives pitched Core as a partner that would help the county navigate the process of building a new jail.