Santa Cruz County Breaks Ground on Rountree Rehabilitation and Re-Entry Facility

In hopes of smoothing the way for jail inmates to re-enter society, the facility will combine education, vocational training, and rehabilitation services under one roof. The facility will offer inmates semi-private living areas, schooling, and vocational training, as well as a variety of social services such as drug rehabilitation. Better still, it will allow inmates to have contact visits with their families, which is currently forbidden but considered an essential piece of their re-entry process.

“The new facility is intended to help inmates land safely in the community,” said Santa Cruz County Sheriff Jim Hart. “This is not about building more beds,” he said. “It’s about building the right kind of beds.”

L-R: Lt. Paul Ramos, Jay Shandor (CGL), Cameron Glass (CGL), Michael Lynch (CGL), and Deputy Director of Public Works, Betsy Lynberg.

CGL developed a master plan and needs assessment for the expansion and renovation of the county jail facility on the eight-acre site in Watsonville, California. CGL also assisted Santa Cruz County with California Senate Bill 1022 planning, including grant writing, needs assessment updating, generating a phased community resource plan, revising space listings, and authoring an architectural program statement as part of gaining $24.6M in state funding for this project.

CGL is currently serving as the owner’s representative, criteria architect, and construction manager for the project, which will address realignment impacts and assist in obtaining goals of developing efficient programs and space to allow for successful re-entry, reducing recidivism, and helping to relieve budgetary constraints.

The project is expected to be completed in 2018.

Facility Location
100 Rountree Lane, Watsonville, California

Owner
Santa Cruz County

Criteria Team
CGL Companies – Criteria Architect
Whitson Engineers – Civil Engineering
Glumac – MEP Engineering
Buehler and Buehler – Structural Engineering
Pennell Consulting, Inc. – Security Electronics Engineering

Project and Construction Manager
CGL Companies
Moss

Design-Build Team
Gilbane + Arrington-Watkins