$8.9 million maximum cost set for Kootenai County jail expansion

COEUR d’ALENE — The completion of two dormitory pods at the Kootenai County jail will cost a maximum of $8.9 million, according to contractor Sletten Construction Company.

Sky Villasenor, a civil engineer and project manager for Sletten Construction Company, outlined the costs during a Tuesday meeting with commissioners. The total figure includes about $1.3 million “soft costs,” such as permit and impact fees and the costs of design and preconstruction. 

The dormitory pod project, which will add 108 beds to the consistently overcrowded jail, has been in the works for years. The “shells” of these pods were built during the last jail expansion in 2018 but have remained unfinished. 

Last October, commissioners allocated nearly $10 million to fund capital projects for the sheriff’s office, including $9 million to complete the jail pods and $950,000 to fund the expansion of the sheriff’s office into the county-owned Kootenai North building in Hayden. 

“Ultimately, the board is most concerned about the total bottom line,” Commissioner Bruce Mattare said Tuesday. “I have all the confidence in the world that we have the right people who can get this done. We just need to make sure we have a budget and we can stick by that and hopefully come in a little under.” 

Kootenai County Director of Facilities Jeff Voeller suggested that commissioners also consider updating the jail’s water heaters while construction is underway. 

Voeller said doing so would cost an estimated $200,000 and enable the jail to keep up with the demand for hot water, which will only increase along with the jail’s capacity. 

“We’ve expanded the jail twice now and haven’t done anything with the water systems,” he said. “The old boilers aren’t keeping up.” 

Sletten Construction Company estimates the jail pod project will be complete in February 2026.