The Crawford County Jail Replacement Project will consist of a renovated Sheriff’s Office and the construction of a new Jail built on the County’s downtown campus which includes the 1867 Courthouse, 1896 Jail, 1931 Courthouse Addition, 1978 Law Enforcement Center Addition, and the 1995 Law Enforcement Center Addition. The Courthouse and Jail buildings were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.
The new Jail will include Intake/Release with a secure Vehicle Sallyport and Prebooking area, public and inmate visitation, inmate housing, inmate programs, food service/kitchen, laundry, building support including receiving and storage, inmate programs including Recreation and Classroom, staff support functions and a secure link to the historical courthouse to provide the secure movement of inmate from the Jail to the Courthouse. The Jail will open with inmate housing of 42 beds with an internal expansion of 34 beds to achieve a 30 – 40-year projection of 76 beds. The inmate housing will be divided into 11 classifications ranging from one inmate up to eighteen inmates in a minimum dormitory housing setting.
The Project also includes a new Sheriff’s Office 911/Dispatch Center located with the new Jail, and renovations to the existing Sheriff’s Office to provide expansion for Administration, Patrol, Investigations with enhanced evidence storage, Emergency Operations Center with management offices, and staff support functions including force training, conference rooms, locker rooms and storage spaces.
The sitework will include a new common plaza for the campus with a relocated Sheriff’s Office memorial, relocated and expanded Veterans Memorial at the southeast corner of the site, regraded public parking lot, and additional diagonal parking spaces on East Park Street.
Location Decision:
The location for the new jail building was selected to be the southwest lot of the current block of the Crawford County jail (224 N Beaumont Rd). This was selected to reduce the impact of local taxes and also allow for less staff to operate while transporting inmates to court.
Remodel of the current Law Enforcement Center and Jail:
The decision was made to repurpose parts of the current jail and Law Enforcement Center to better suit the needs of the Sheriff’s Office. Outdated facilities and space needs will be addressed with a remodel of the current center. This will allow for the Sheriff’s office’s needs to be met without building a new facility.
How much will this impact taxes?: The estimated raise of approximately $77 per $100,000 value of the residence. This is below last year’s mill rate increase and Taxes are projected to decrease even with this addition.
Historical Footprint:
The design team has taken into account the historical buildings located on the block and has attempted to reduce the footprint of the new building. The jail was moved southwest as far as possible to allow for an open-air view of the historic structures of the courthouse. The design of the new jail was chosen to match current structures to make an aesthetically pleasing look while maintaining historical looks.
Want to see current designs and ask any questions to our Building Managers (Krammer Brothers and Klein McCarthy Architects)
Design boards will be located at: Prairie du Chien City Hall, Crawford County Administration Building, Gays Mills Community Center, Soldiers Grove Library, and Crawford County Court House.
An open house meeting will be held:
Monday 2/19/24 from 4 PM to 7 PM and on 2/20/24 at 11 AM at the Crawford County Administration Building. This will give the ability to ask any questions to county board supervisors, architects, and project managers.
Estimated Construction start time:
Projected Summer/Fall 2024
Estimated date for bidding:
Package #1 starting May 9th, 2024.