sheriff joe idiot? asshole? or both? Original Article Construction issues keep jail projects shut Christina Leonard The Arizona Republic Feb. 11, 2005 12:00 AM Maricopa County's two largest jail projects were supposed to be open by now. Elected officials have held their grand-opening ceremonies. Authorities have issued the certificates of occupancy. And the people who built the facilities say they're ready to go. But the $247 million Lower Buckeye Jail and Central Services project and the $147 million Fourth Avenue Jail won't open for at least six to 10 more weeks. They were originally scheduled to open last June. Sheriff's officials say the delays are related to construction issues. The office last week submitted a list of items that need fixing, including toilets that don't flush properly, lights that don't turn off and hot water that doesn't run in medical areas, according to a sheriff's memo. Despite some "minor maintenance issues," construction was completed months ago. "We have been collaborating with the Sheriff's Office to meet all their occupancy deadlines," said Heidi Birch, director of Capital Facilities Development. Although Lt. Paul Chagolla, Sheriff's Office spokesman, said the office is ready to take possession of the jails now, the office has openly struggled with staffing issues. In fact, a recent press release said the office still needed to hire 1,000 officers to operate the entire jail system, even though 600 new detention officers and deputies have been brought on in the past 12 months. "Quite frankly, I'm anxious only because the people voted for that sales tax and they want their jails open. On the other hand, we're surviving," Sheriff Joe Arpaio said. In 1998, voters approved a one-fifth-cent sales tax to build adult and juvenile jail facilities. Residents extended it for 20 years in November 2002. The county has built about a dozen projects, including a training academy, a property-and-evidence warehouse and parking garages. There is a need for the new jails. The average daily jail population has grown to 9,300. The current jail system is designed to hold 5,400 inmates, Chagolla said. Arpaio said Madison Street Jail also is falling apart. He cited 15recent cases in which inmates were digging holes through the walls. Officials opened the Fourth Avenue Jail intake booking area in September. Construction was mostly completed in July. The jail is a 578,000-square-foot building in downtown Phoenix that will accommodate 2,060 maximum custody pretrial jail beds. Lower Buckeye Jail is on Lower Buckeye Road near 35th Avenue. It will include a total of 833,000 square feet of building space and contain 2,438 beds, including those for adults and juveniles. It will also include laundry, a food factory and central plant.