Existing Jail Facility

The Minnesota Department of Corrections issued a Notice of Deficiency and required substantial investments in the current Beltrami County Jail effective September 30, 2019. Committed to mitigating these deficiencies, the Beltrami County Board of Commissioners issued a resolution to the Minnesota Department of Corrections in 2019 vowing to address the deficiencies. 

On November 15, 2022, the Beltrami County Board approved moving forward with the design and construction of a new jail facility. Since that time, the County has made significant progress in advancing the design and construction of the new Jail located at 815 Pioneer St.  However, as part of this work, the County must determine what to do with the current jail located at 626 Minnesota Ave NW, Bemidji, MN 56601. To help answer that question, a building condition assessment and a feasibility study was completed and several design options with cost estimates were developed. The design options include:

1. Option 1: Full Remodel: Leave the whole building and remodel/adjust the existing Sallyport for inmate transport access to and from the Judicial Center and remodel the remaining space for other uses.
2. Option 2 – Partial Removal & Remodel: Partially tear-down the existing jail and build a new Sallyport near the Judicial Center for inmate transport access.
3. Option 3 – Full Removal: Fully remove the existing jail and build a new Sallyport onto or near the existing Judicial Center for inmate transport access.

The Presentation details each of these options and identifies preliminary costs for each. The County is taking public comment on these three options until October 1. If you would like to submit a comment or suggestion, click the button below and leave your submission. For questions about the project, please contact County Administrator Tom Barry at: tom.barry@co.beltrami.mn.us or 218-333-8478.