Lake County in Ohio is constructing a $205 million Sheriff's Office and Public Safety Center to address the overcrowding and outdated facilities of the current jail. The new facility will focus on rehabilitation and provide enhanced medical care, mental health services and treatment programs for inmates. Construction began in January 2025 and is expected to be completed by spring 2027.
Gilbane Building Co. photo
The $205 million Lake County Sheriff’s Office and Public Safety Center will be located just north of the existing jail on East Erie Street.
To better prepare inmates for reentry into the community, a new correctional facility is being built in Painesville, Ohio. The $205 million Lake County Sheriff's Office and Public Safety Center will be just north of the existing jail on East Erie Street and include more than 500 beds and three-and-a-half floors.
"The current facility has no room to accommodate an expanding jail population," said Lake County Sheriff Frank Leonbruno. "In the past 30 years, the jail has grown from 100 Lake County Court inmates per day to 385 or more inmates. This 400 percent increase highlights that a new facility must be built to accommodate future inmate growth over the next 40 years.
"Although the county has performed routine maintenance over the years, many of the overall physical building system components, such as plumbing, mechanical, electrical, security and fire protection, have reached the end of their useful life cycles. Additionally, the building envelope was improperly installed and needs to be completely removed and reinstalled to stop the water infiltration throughout the building. The jail would require $30 million to restore it to its intended condition."
Featuring red brick, limestone and gabled roofs, the 250,000-sq.-ft. structure is being promoted as an investment in the future of public safety. Leonbruno said the new facility will focus on rehabilitation, providing staffers with the resources needed to help inmates become productive members of society once their time has been served.
"What has changed dramatically in county jails since the facility was built in the 1980s is the more complex medical issues of today's inmate population, the rise in drug and alcohol addictions and the reliance on jails and prisons to handle the mental health populations of our nation. In the current facility, there's no adequate space for medical care, no space designed for handling the mentally ill and no programming space for drug and alcohol treatment."
The new facility will have an enhanced area for medical care with large exam rooms and a pharmacy designed to handle medications for both medical and mental health needs of the inmate population. It will include housing areas to serve the mental health population and rooms for counseling and group therapy.
The new physical plant will provide increased camera systems to monitor all aspects of jail operations. This includes reduced inmate movement by having outdoor ranges attached to each range; reduced exterior movement through video arraignments and court hearings; new body scanning systems to control contraband; and a secured security perimeter around the jail. To meet the growing needs of patrol, the structure will include new evidence storage facilities, SWAT bays and training areas, as well as a conference room and interview areas.
Construction began in January 2025. The project should be completed by spring 2027, with a move-in date that summer.
Leonbruno said it's exciting to see construction taking place, acknowledging that a lot has changed over the past 35 years.
"When our current facility opened in January of 1990, computer systems were not designed into the facility, camera systems were basic and antiquated and the medical area was designed to be the equivalent of a nurse's station in an elementary school. Inmate treatment programs for drug addiction and mental health services were not planned, staff training areas did not exist, and no thought was given to staff health and workout areas to prepare for the rigors of the job.
Chief Deputy Bob Izzo said, "The process has given us the opportunity to investigate our past and see where our problems existed and correct the physical plant moving forward, so we can be more effective. Shaping new concepts in physical design to go with our programs and concepts in offender management and advanced policing will help us to ensure that Lake County is the community where you want to live, raise a family and grow your business."
The design-build project includes the team of Gilbane Building Co., Lakeland — The Construction Group and architectural firm K2M Design.
"With this being a secure facility, there's a lot of coordination required," said Sean Noble, Gilbane senior project manager. "The walls are predominantly masonry or prefabricated steel cells, and there are many secure ceilings, which means every single conduit, outlet, device, light, etc. needs to be coordinated to perfection up front.
"There are no opportunities for rework if a device isn't installed properly the first time. There also is an abundance of security electronics [cameras, intercoms, access control, etc.] that are above and beyond other types of construction. These devices require detailed coordination for all device locations, pathways and cabling. We've developed a robust BIM coordination plan to 3D model all MEP systems, with the goal of identifying any potential clashes, so they can be resolved in the 3D space prior to becoming an issue in the field."
The project is mostly a cut site, with more soil export than import. The storm system involves a 48,000-cu.-ft. storm detention system that collects and stores the site's runoff prior to it exiting the site.
Two county buildings, a fast food restaurant and several houses were demolished prior to Gilbane commencing work. The building pad is established, site grading is finished and construction haul roads have been installed.
The underground utilities are roughly 50 percent complete. The focus has been prioritizing the utilities that are adjacent to the building pad to make space for follow-on trades. The installation of aggregate piers is ongoing, with foundations now under way.
"Building any facility begins with a pre-construction effort," said Noble. "We work through the design with the owner to validate budgets and programming. During construction, the Gilbane/Lakeland team will consist of 10 personnel ranging from project managers, project engineers, superintendents and safety professionals. The workforce will peak at about 250 daily.
"The Gilbane/Lakeland team will work with trade partners to manage cost, schedule, quality and safety throughout the more than two-year construction process."
Noble said the most time-consuming part of construction will be the masonry.
"With this being a secure facility, there's a large amount of interior masonry partitions. The secure walls have additional reinforcing, as well. There are two stair towers that are masonry, and the exterior façade is predominantly brick. Due to the sheer volume of masonry, our critical path runs through the masonry bid package."
Regarding heavy equipment, site contractor Mr. Excavator will be using Komatsu PC360 and Komatsu PC138 excavators; Komatsu D71, Komatsu D61 and Cat D6N bulldozers; a Cat 563 roller; a Kubota SVL95 track loader; and a Komatsu WA200-7 wheel loader. Iron workers of Mull Iron will use a 110-ton Link-Belt crawler with a 140-ft. main boom and 40-ft. jib provided by ALL Crane.
Materials required include aggregate pier, concrete foundations and elevator shafts and structural steel frame with composite slab on metal deck. Brick, punched windows, curtain wall glazing, storefront glazing, modified bitumen roofing and standing seam metal roofing also will be used.
The project calls for 17,000 cu. yds. of site excavation/export; 2,100 cu. yds. of site excavation/embankment; and 7,500 cu. yds. of utility excavation/export. The total amount of aggregate for the job, including utilities, is 16,630 cu. yds., with 13,050 linear ft. of underground utilities installed.
Noble said the chief concern when building a facility of this nature is the planning tied to jail-specific items.
"Coordination of detention doors and frames, detention ceilings, security ratings for walls, cameras, access control, etc. has been the biggest focus from a construction standpoint. There are many aspects to building a jail that are unique compared to other types of construction."
He also noted that crews will be using pre-made jail units.
"The units are prefabricated as a five-sided box [four walls, a ceiling and no floor], with all doors, hardware, lighting, furniture and plumbing preinstalled. They are shipped to the jobsite on a flatbed. We leave out a section of the enclosure to allow space to fly the prefabricated units into the building.
"A scaffold is built on the exterior of the building. The units are craned onto the scaffolding and set on skates. They are then moved into place. Once a row has been set in place, they are welded together. From there it is single point connections for all MEP systems to the back side of the units."
As for winter weather, said Noble, "Thankfully, the major snowstorms hit the area just before we started construction, so we haven't had much impact from snow. There have been a couple of cold snaps that stopped work because it was unsafe to be outdoors working in those temperatures."
Despite the challenges, Noble is proud to play a role in the project and praised the sheriff's team for their commitment and professionalism.
"They truly care about their community, and it shows every day with the thoughtfulness and due diligence they've put into planning this facility. They've shared many lessons learned about their current facility, and it empowers me to deliver a high-quality facility that will serve the sheriff's office and the Lake County community for years to come." CEG
Cindy Riley
Birmingham, Ala., native Cindy RIley originally planned on a career in law, but during her sophomore year in college realized journalism was her true calling. A magna cum laude graduate of Samford University, Riley first worked in radio and TV. Named Best News Anchor, Best News Reporter and Best Investigative Reporter by the Associated Press, she interviewed numerous personalities, ranging from Dr. Henry Kissinger and President Bush to Michael Jordan and Captain Kangaroo.
As a print journalist, Riley has covered a variety of topics, including construction, business, health and the arts. In addition to CEG, her work has appeared in special reports for USA Today and the L.A. Times. Other publications have included New South Magazine, Portico, Thicket, Alabama Heritage, B-Metro, Business First and Birmingham Business Journal.
Read more from Cindy Riley here.
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