Jail's pieces start to fit together

The final exterior piece of the new Kane County jail was ceremoniously hoisted and put into place Monday as county officials applauded the milestone event.

Kane County Board Chairman Karen McConnaughay, Sheriff Pat Perez, jail Commander Patrick Keaty and others signed the concrete block as part of the "topping off" ceremony, a tradition in the construction industry.

"It's kind of an important day," McConnaughay told the crowd gathered in unincorporated St. Charles Township.

Although the building exterior is now done -- save for paint and other cosmetic touches -- there's still much work remaining inside. Construction is about 60 percent complete, Keaty estimated.

Keaty then led officials on a tour of the $55.8 million institution, scheduled to open in less than a year. He pointed out the eight-man, dorm-style cell blocks in Tower A and the two-man cell blocks in Tower B.

Each cell block features its own common areas, visitation rooms and interview rooms. Decentralizing these areas means inmates won't have to be taken across the jail, which decreases opportunities for fights and other trouble, Keaty said.

There is a separate area for female inmates, in addition to an infirmary and medical facility, a laundry room, kitchen, and employee locker rooms, offices and break areas.

A hallway leads inmates to the adjacent Kane County Judicial Center. Now inmates must be taken to court from the existing county jail on Geneva's east side or from other jails. The county spends $2 million annually to house inmates at out-of-county jails.

"It takes a lot less time to walk this corridor than it does to drive across town," McConnaughay said.

Officials expect to obtain an occupancy permit July 21, 2008, with the facility opening a few weeks later.

The 640-bed jail will replace the existing 32-year-old 399-bed facility in Geneva, built in 1975. A future expansion would increase capacity to 1,536 inmates, as proposed.