HOUGHTON — Members of the public will be able to join Houghton County Board members on a tour of a possible site for a new Houghton County jail.

The board approved up to $5,000 towards investigating the suitability of a 6-acre parcel at the current site of the First Apostolic Lutheran Church on Sharon Avenue.

The board had been in discussions with the owner of a property on Evergreen Street, which had been on hiatus for several months due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Commissioners Roy Britz and Gretchen Janssen had looked for potential sites along with Karin Cooper, architect with U.P. Engineers & Architects. They had received confirmation the Apostolic Church site would be up for sale sometime in the future, Cooper said. Britz said he was given a rough asking price of $1.1 million last year.

“I think it’s a nice site to consider, and so what our proposal would do is look at this potential site for a new jail, courts, administrative offices,” Cooper said.

Cooper recommended the board look at the existing building to see if it would work for a work-release camp. A commercial kitchen on site could be used for jail meals, Cooper said.

Renovations could add a secure facility behind it similar to the jailhouse addition behind the courthouse that was narrowly defeated in 2018.

Parking could be preserved in front, while expansion could take place where the back parking now sits, Cooper said.

“It’s already been graded and leveled, so it just seems like it lends itself a little bit better to development than a site that’s been filled in over the years with debris,” Cooper said, contrasting it with the other nearby site that has been considered.

Britz said the work camp could go in the existing structure, as could the sheriff’s offices. With the courthouse overcrowded, some administrative facilities could potentially move to space on the property as well, Britz said. He used the hypothetical example of the clerk’s office moving up, possibly allowing the courthouse to rent the current office to an attorney.

“It opens a lot of possibilities if we go up there and look at that,” he said.

Cooper’s proposal included a tour of the building and having UPEA engineering evaluate whether it would be feasible to renovate. They could also sketch floor plans and options for what an addition would look like, Cooper said.

Commissioner Glenn Anderson asked for a summary of work camp and jail occupancy numbers over the past three years to get a sense of trends.

If the board did decide on a site and millage proposal for a potential new jail, ballot language would have to be filed by May 11, Clerk Jennifer Kelly said.

The motion passed 4-1, with Vice Chair Tom Tikkanen dissenting.

“I believe it’s probably not real prudent to go off and tour a property and work on proposals — even preliminary proposals — without having a definite price,” he said.

Britz said he would seek to get a firm dollar amount.

The board will meet at the site at 1 p.m. March 18. It will then hold a public work session at the courthouse at 1:30 p.m. to discuss jail options. The public will also be able to join them there, as the board voted to reopen the courthouse effective March 17.

At the request of Janssen, the board meetings will also continue to be available via Zoom.