CLEVELAND — Following an environmental analysis that showed hazardous chemicals at the proposed site of the new Cuyahoga County Corrections Center complex, the steering committee for the project narrowly rejected the proposed site on Tuesday.
Five voted in favor of building the new jail at the proposed site at 2700 Transport Road, six on the committee voted against it, and one abstained during an executive session of the committee Tuesday afternoon.
Members clarified that the vote was only about that particular proposed site; one judge on the committee said he is not against building a new jail, he is only opposed to that site due to its environmental concerns.
Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley, one of the six on the Justice Center Steering Committee to vote down the proposed site, filed an entry in Cuyahoga County Court outlining his request to hire attorneys to file legal action against Cuyahoga County council and the county executive should they decide to move forward with the Transport Road jail site, News 5’s Joe Pagonakis reported Monday night.
O'Malley said he filed the request on behalf of Cuyahoga County presiding Judge Brendan Sheehan and the chief public defender over potential health concerns for jail employees and detainees, which could be generated if the new jail is built on the proposed site.
"Putting a new county jail on site that contains hazardous chemicals and methane and benzene is not in the best interest of any of those people,” O'Malley said. “We as a county have to do what’s right not just for today, but for the elected officials, the employees, the detainees, 20, 30, 40 years from now. This is a very large financial commitment to contract a new facility, and if we’re going to do it, we just want to ensure it’s done right."
Those in favor of the Transport Road site have made it clear the site can be effectively cleaned up prior to construction and said any further delay could significantly increase the price for the jail toward a projected $700 million. O'Malley believes county leaders should again look at renovating the existing jail location.
“Let's see if we can go in a different direction on a smaller site or rehab the current facility," O'Malley said. “County council has had the report on a new jail since 2014, and since that time the costs have tripled. So it’s ironic that they’re worrying about cost when it was their own delay that has caused the situation that we are currently in.”
In addition to the site's environmental issues, the advocacy group Clevelanders for Public Transport voiced concerns about the site’s isolation from public transit, going so far as to produce a video demonstrating the 30-minute walk from the site to the nearest transit station, a walk over damaged and overgrown sidewalks, and road with no sidewalks at all.
Watch Joe Pagonakis's report below:
RELATED: Proposed Cuyahoga Co. jail site a 30-minute walk from nearest transit station, video shows
The Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Associated also waded into the debate with a statement released Monday, ultimately saying that whatever the steering committee and council decide, the plan needs to be finalized soon after years of debate and discussion about a comprehensive plan for both the jail and justice center.
“Once and for all, we challenge the Steering Committee to pull together to act in concert for the benefit of all of Cuyahoga County,” the CMBA stated. “Put an end to the protracted conversations and use the mountain of information at your disposal to finally map out a definitive plan for both the Jail and the Justice Center. In short: act now.”
With the proposed site voted down, the steering committee will meet next to discuss the next steps, including proposals to relocate the jail complex to a different site or renovate the existing county jail. The proposed site on Transport Road isn’t necessarily dead in the water, however, as the full county council may vote to build the jail there in spite of concerns that have been raised.
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