Phase II: Predesign

Predesign is the second and current phase of the Justice System Improvement Program. It culminates with the County advancing a bond measure for justice-related facilities for consideration by Benton County voters, likely May 2022. Through a competitive-bidding process, the County selected DLR Group, a Portland-based architecture and engineering firm specializing in criminal justice facilities programming and design, to assist the County with its predesign efforts.

The Predesign Phase Plan, which was endorsed by the Board of Commissioners in April 2021, describes the elements of the program through the bond measure (Plan attached below). The Predesign scope of work begins by considering the full list of recommended facilities and programs from the Assessment, then narrowing the list to specific recommendations for public feedback. It uses a multi-step process that incorporates feedback from a wide variety of organization and community stakeholders, with the following three general work flows:

• Assess existing facility conditions and constraints while conducting interviews to determine detailed operational requirements and space needs for all the facility types.
• Study several options for facility improvements considering multiple criteria; document facility options for public engagement and review.
• Following public review and discussion, the project team will narrow and hone options for the County’s consideration via a bond measure.

Predesign work includes both conceptual and schematic design and culminates with the County advancing a final option for criminal justice facilities projects and programs in a bond measure for consideration by Benton County voters in May 2022 (or November 2022 if needed).

Predesign is a six-step process (graphic attached below), as follows:

1. Project Initiation
2. Preliminary Project Baseline Targets
3. Basis of Design Direction for Predesign
4. Develop Concept Design Options
5. Determine Concept and Basis of Design for Schematic Design
6. Final Schematic Design and Bond Support Documents

The County's 2019-2021 biennium budget invested in pre-trial services to include an industry-standard intake assessment tool and electronic monitoring, and assigning staff to begin investigating next steps for data collection, systems evaluation tools, advisory mechanisms and a sobering/crisis resource center.