HOUGHTON – Three meetings are scheduled this month regarding the Houghton County Jail.

The first meeting takes place from 6 to 7:45 p.m. tomorrow (April 2), at the Portage Lake District Library in Houghton and will include presentations by Faith Morrison, League of Women Voters of the Copper Country, Chair of the Houghton County Board of Commissioners, Tom Tikkanen and Sheriff Josh Saaranen.

Tomorrow’s meeting is intended to provide an atmosphere where community members can see the plans, ask questions, and generally learn more about the proposed project and its costs before attending the April 15 County Board meeting. A similar meeting is also scheduled for April 7, in Hancock.

“The educational meetings are intended to provide an atmosphere in which members of the community can see the plans, ask questions, and generally learn more about the proposed project and its costs in advance of attending the April 15 County Board meeting,” said a release from the League of Women Voters.

The proposed plans for the jail will be formally presented to the Houghton County Board for discussion at their special meeting at 10 a.m. on April 15, in the Circuit Courtroom of the Houghton County Courthouse. The County Board encourages all residents to attend and participate in this important discussion.

At the meeting, county officials, law enforcement representatives, and experienced jail-designers will present details on the proposal, including cost estimates, potential locations, and how the funding would be raised and allocated.

According to the LWVCC, the current jail facility is outdated, overcrowded, and no longer meets state compliance standards or the needs of the county. Proposed millage, if approved, would provide funding for a modern facility designed to improve public and workplace safety, efficiency, and the ability to meet the county’s long-term commitment to maintaining a safe and orderly community.

In 2010, the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) released the U.P. Regional Jail and Facility Re-Use Study. The 1,106 page document was the result of a two-year study that examined jails throughout the 15 counties of the Upper Peninsula, and whether regional jails would be more feasible than county jails. The study also studied jail trends, the rising increase of jail terms, and other pertinent data.

In March, 2017, the Daily Mining Gazette reported that on February 21, Houghton County Sheriff Brian McLean invoked Michigan’s Jail Overcrowding Emergency Powers Act, due to consistent overcrowding of the county jail. State and county officials have known for years the overcrowding of the facility would reach a critical point.