Commissioners discuss separating new Oklahoma County jail and mental health center
Monday's vote looks to fast track the process of getting a mental health center at the potential jail location near East Grand Boulevard. The Oklahoma County Board of Commissioners voted on building a mental health center at the location chosen for a new Oklahoma County jail. The county could lose $50 million in federal funds for the facility if officials don't choose a new site for the new jail. Now, they are considering separating the new detention center from the existing detention center. The vote was part of a 2-1 effort to secure a contract that would separate the building separate from the city's permission to rezone it. Activists have advocated for separating mental health treatment from incarceration for years, and are exploring more possible locations.
Published : 10 months ago by Meghan Mosley, https://www.facebook.com/ in Health
THE NEW JAIL. YEAH, COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ARE STILL EXPLORING OPTIONS ON HOW TO BUILD THAT JAIL HERE ALONG EAST GRAND. BUT WITH TODAY’S VOTE, THE MENTAL HEALTH FACILITY COULD BE BUILT HERE. FIRST, I WILL SAY THAT THIS IS PROGRESS. THE COUNTY COULD LOSE THOSE $50 MILLION IN FEDERAL FUNDING IF THEY DON’T HIT THE GROUND RUNNING. ON CHOOSING A SITE FOR THE NEW JAIL. SO NOW THEY’RE LOOKING AT IF THEY CAN BUILD A MENTAL HEALTH FACILITY ALONG EAST GRAND, SEPARATE FROM THE NEW DETENTION CENTER, IF WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO FORWARD AND BUILD THE MENTAL HEALTH FACILITY, OBVIOUSLY THE 50 MILLION IS AT STAKE AND WANTING TO GO FORWARD. WE DON’T WANT TO LOSE THAT OPPORTUNITY, THEY SAY IT’S AN EFFORT TO SAVE FEDERAL FUNDING. SO IN A 2 TO 1 VOTE, COUNTY COMMISSIONERS WANT THE COUNTY ENGINEER TO RENEGOTIATE A CONTRACT THAT WOULD ENTERTAIN THE IDEA OF BUILDING THE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CENTER SEPARATE FROM THE JAIL COMMISSIONERS SAY THEY BELIEVE THEY WON’T NEED THE CITY’S PERMISSION TO REZONE IT FOR THAT PURPOSE. SINCE WE HAVE SO MANY INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE REPEAT FREQUENT FLIERS THAT COME IN THERE, THIS BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CENTER WILL ALLOW US TO VISUALIZE AN AND ADDRESS SOMEBODY’S MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS LONGER THAN THE MANDATED FEDERAL TIMELINE, WHILE THEY’RE STILL EXPLORING WHERE THAT NEW JAIL WILL GO, EVEN ADDING TWO ADDITIONAL SITES TO MONDAY’S AGENDA. ONE THING IS CERTAIN THEY DON’T WANT TO MISS OUT ON THE FEDERAL FUNDING. WE’RE GOING TO EXPLORE ALL OPTIONS AND AND I WOULD SAY THAT THAT THAT INCLUDES THAT SITE. AND COMING UP TONIGHT AT FIVE, I’LL TELL YOU HOW MUCH THAT MENTAL HEALTH FACILITY IS EXPECTED TO COST. AND WHAT THE COMMUNITY HAD TO SAY ABOUT IT. REPORTING LIVE IN OKLAHOMA CITY, MEGH
The Oklahoma County Board of Commissioners voted Monday on building a mental health center at the location chosen for a new Oklahoma County jail. | MORE | City Council denies zoning for proposed Oklahoma County jail siteThe commissioners were still exploring the option of building the new jail along East Grand Boulevard after the Oklahoma City Council denied a rezoning request for the center at that location. Monday's vote looks to fast track the process of getting a mental health center, which was part of the new jail's plans, and build it at the location first. "I will say that this is progress," community activist Mark Faulk said. "If everyone has been paying attention here in Oklahoma County, they’ll see that the things we’ve said continually for years are slowly being adopted."The county could lose $50 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds for the mental health center if officials don't choose a site for the new jail. Now, they are looking at if they can build the mental health center on East Grant separate from the new detention center. "If we have the opportunity to go forward and build the mental health center, obviously the $50 million is at stake, and we want to go forward and don’t want to lose that opportunity," Oklahoma County Commissioner Brian Maughan said. In a 2-1 vote, commissioners wanted the county engineer to renegotiate a contract that would entertain the idea of building the behavioral health center separate from the jail. Commissioners said they believe they won't need the city's permission to rezone it for that purpose. "We have so many individuals who are repeat frequent flyers that come in there. This health center will allow us to visualize and address somebody's mental health crisis longer than the mandated federal timeline," County Commissioner Myles Davidson said. While they were exploring more possible locations to put the jail, even adding two new sites to Monday's agenda, they said they don't want to lose the federal funding. "We’re going to explore all options, and I would say that that includes that site," Davidson said. Activists have advocated separating mental health treatment from incarceration for years. The original plan was to keep it as part of the jail, but the move could salvage that $50 million. "It obviously could always be reallocated, but we were trying to keep it for this mental health component. It was something we went to the voters with when we talked about approving a jail in 2022, so we wanted to fulfil that promise and keep it as a companion item," Maughan said. So far, the price tag of the mental health center is around $40-46 million, meaning the ARPA funds should cover it. But where exactly will it go on the property? "It's to be determined from the engineer on where the best structural place to build it. We have designs and stuff in theory, but those will have to get implemented now that we know for sure which property we’d place this on, if in fact we get this contract to go through," Maughan said. Top HeadlinesTIMELINE: Waves of storms bring hail, tornado, strong wind risk to OklahomaOne of six in truck killed after Saturday crash in OklahomaOklahoma County inmate dead, second in less than a weekInvestigators search for vehicle believed to have hit, killed woman in Pottawatomie CountyWatch: Videos you may have missed this week
The Oklahoma County Board of Commissioners voted Monday on building a mental health center at the location chosen for a new Oklahoma County jail. The commissioners were still exploring the option of building the new jail along East Grand Boulevard after the Oklahoma City Council denied a rezoning request for the center at that location. Monday's vote looks to fast track the process of getting a mental health center, which was part of the new jail's plans, and build it at the location first. "I will say that this is progress," community activist Mark Faulk said. "If everyone has been paying attention here in Oklahoma County, they’ll see that the things we’ve said continually for years are slowly being adopted." The county could lose $50 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds for the mental health center if officials don't choose a site for the new jail. Now, they are looking at if they can build the mental health center on East Grant separate from the new detention center. "If we have the opportunity to go forward and build the mental health center, obviously the $50 million is at stake, and we want to go forward and don’t want to lose that opportunity," Oklahoma County Commissioner Brian Maughan said. In a 2-1 vote, commissioners wanted the county engineer to renegotiate a contract that would entertain the idea of building the behavioral health center separate from the jail. Commissioners said they believe they won't need the city's permission to rezone it for that purpose. "We have so many individuals who are repeat frequent flyers that come in there. This health center will allow us to visualize and address somebody's mental health crisis longer than the mandated federal timeline," County Commissioner Myles Davidson said. While they were exploring more possible locations to put the jail, even adding two new sites to Monday's agenda, they said they don't want to lose the federal funding. "We’re going to explore all options, and I would say that that includes that site," Davidson said.
Activists have advocated separating mental health treatment from incarceration for years. The original plan was to keep it as part of the jail, but the move could salvage that $50 million. "It obviously could always be reallocated, but we were trying to keep it for this mental health component. It was something we went to the voters with when we talked about approving a jail in 2022, so we wanted to fulfil that promise and keep it as a companion item," Maughan said. So far, the price tag of the mental health center is around $40-46 million, meaning the ARPA funds should cover it. But where exactly will it go on the property? "It's to be determined from the engineer on where the best structural place to build it. We have designs and stuff in theory, but those will have to get implemented now that we know for sure which property we’d place this on, if in fact we get this contract to go through," Maughan said.
• One of six in truck killed after Saturday crash in Oklahoma
• Oklahoma County inmate dead, second in less than a week
• Investigators search for vehicle believed to have hit, killed woman in Pottawatomie County
• Watch: Videos you may have missed this week
Topics: Social Issues