Montgomery County commissioners are considering jail expansion options to address the strain of a growing inmate population.

On Aug. 11, representatives of Austin-based Broaddus Planning and Miami-based CGL Companies presented two possible jail expansion options to the Montgomery County Commissioners Court.

The facility expansion is necessary due to the demand from projected inmate population growth. According to Broaddus and CGL, the jail needs to expand from the 1,350 beds required in 2014 to 2,200 beds in 2034.

The first scenario proposed is a 610,100-square-foot expansion of the existing jail, which would require a land purchase to the north, demolishing existing housing blocks and replacing them with three-story structures, and the relocation of the 911 call center. The scenario is estimated to cost $197.4 million, which does not include the price of the land purchase, and will take a minimum of six to eight years to complete, said Andrew Broderick, Broaddus Planning project manager.

The first scenario requires a musical chairs approach to construction due to the necessity to maintain secure housing for inmates in concurrence with construction, CGL companies Vice President Laura Maiello Reidy said.

"It is a kind of a musical chairs approach where we are demolishing one thing, building the replacement housing so that we can demolish the next quad, and build the next level of housing," Reidy said. "So it is a very finely orchestrated series of tasks and phases to meet the objective of getting a full-service comprehensive jail."

The second scenario proposed the relocation of the jail to an undetermined site, which would need to have at least 30.5 acres of land that can be developed. Construction for this scenario could be done in phases and cost about $202 million over a minimum of two years of construction. The estimated price does not include the cost of the land purchase cost, Broderick said.

The second scenario simplifies construction, but imposes additional hurdles as well, Reidy said.

"In the second scenario we have a clean site, it is a lot easier in terms of design and implementation, but finding a site for a jail is often controversial and can take time because of the political process," Reidy said.

Editor's note: Stay tuned for an expanded and in-depth report on the Montgomery County Jail facility in our September print edition.