New details emerge about proposed county jail in Hampden

By Marie Weidmayer, Bangor Daily News Staff

Renderings for the proposed new Penobscot County jail could be available by the end of the year.

It was among the updates that roughly 30 town leaders heard from Penobscot County officials on Sept. 25 as they discussed the jail and county budget. Estimates of the number of beds and cost were shared during the about 2-hour long meeting.

They were the first public updates in months on the years-long process to build a new jail. The information comes after the county entered into a contract to buy property in Hampden at the Ammo Industrial Park in July.

The new jail, which must be approved by voters, will have between 250 and 300 beds, Penobscot County Commissioner Andre Cushing said. That estimate includes beds for medical, detox, holding and general population, he said. 

There are roughly 260 people held by Penobscot County now, Morton said. That includes people with a variety of medical needs and security risks, meaning not everyone can be housed side by side, he said.

It’s unclear how much the county believes the jail would cost. A 20-year bond of $75 million to $80 million with a “somewhat aggressive interest rate” would be a payment of about $5 million a year, Adkins said.

Haley Ward, a consulting firm, has surveyed the site and tested soil on the 30-acre property. At least 15 acres are suitable to build on, Cushing said. The site is a former gravel pit, he said.

The engineering company has a contract with a company that builds modular jails, and renderings are expected to be done in mid-November. 

Commissioners had a presentation in February from RQAW | DCCM, a company that says it builds the “jail of tomorrow” and uses fully customizable modular construction. 

The estimated cost came in at 60% less than estimates for non-modular companies, Cushing said. 

County officials say the Penobscot County Jail is in poor condition and that it is not worth making repairs to the building, which was constructed in 1869. It was last renovated in 1988.

The current jail is licensed for 157 beds and the county will spend more than $2.5 million this year to board people at other jails. 

An average of 70 people per day are boarded out this year, Sheriff Troy Morton said.