Graham Jaehnig/Daily Mining Gazette The former First Apostolic Lutheran Church property on Sharon Avenue, was opened for tours on Friday.

HOUGHTON – The Sharon Avenue Property Use Committee offered tours of a former church Friday for people walk through and see it for themselves. The Houghton County Board of Commissioners purchased the First Apostolic Lutheran Church property on Sharon Avenue last year. The purchase price was $1.2 million. Funding came from the $6.8 million that the county received from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA)according to County Commissioner Roy Britz.

The county hoped to eventually build a new jail, sheriff’s office and other county offices on the site. Last year, the city of Houghton annexed a property from Portage Township in preparation for a potential jail project.

However, in August. the Houghton County Jail and County Building Improvement Bond Proposal failed – but only by 972 votes, 3,629 to 4,601, losing by just over 30%.

With the failure of the proposal, Britz said the county currently has no plans for the property.

Britz, who is also a member of the Property Use Committee, said the purpose of the open house was simply to conduct a walk-through of the building to allow people to offer public comment so they can discuss the issue at the next County Board meeting, November 11.

Britz said the Sharon Avenue Property Use Committee was formed to discuss the different use possibilities for the property and also the current jail, should a new jail be built at some time.

“If a new jail (proposal) were to pass,” he said, “what will we do with that building, and what we’re going to do currently with this building.”

Britz said the committee opened the former church to the public to allow interested people to see it. “A lot of people have interest or concerns aboutwhat we’re doing,” he said.

The county is facing pressure from the state on the condition of the jail.

The current jail is not in compliance with current Michigan Dept. of Corrections (MDOC) regulations and jail standards, leaving the county vulnerable to actions and the risk of the federal government closing the jail.

The current jail has 28 beds, but recommendations are for a jail with 51, which would eliminate the near constant overcrowding at the jail. Many spaces are too small and are non-ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant. Additionally, the jail’s many deficiencies also leave the county vulnerable to lawsuits filed by jail inmates

The multiple occupancy statute (MCLA 791.262c) requires cells to provide 52 square feet of sleeping area per inmate, along with additional day room space, prison-type water closets, lavatories, drinking fountains, metal beds, tables, seats, and mirrors.

The county has made several unsuccessful attempts at passing a millage for a new or expanded jail, including a measure for jail construction behind the courthouse that was narrowly defeated in 2018. the most recent proposal was defeated in August.

“I can tell you,” said Britz,”in 2000, when Sheriff McLean and I were with the Sheriff’s Office, the first project proposal we had was $3.2 million. In 2010, we were looked at something like $13 million. Now, we’re looking at $32 million.”

Originally built as a restaurant and bar called The Lodge, the Sharon Avenue building has had several additions over the years, including a large residential-grade kitchen with a social hall and a two-car garage later converted to a storage area with classrooms on its second floor.

The original section of the building has design flaws, most notably the roof was not designed for Copper Country snow loads. Members of the church frequently shoveled off the roof during the winters.

“There are design differences, as far as the structure and structural load and stuff that we have to be mindful of,” Britz said, but there’s a lot of space.” Britz said he did not know offhand the square footage of the building.

While the County Board works to resolve the issue of a deficient jail, Britz said the Sharon Ave. property remains something the county could possibly use, though there are no plans for it currently.

“I was hoping the jail (proposal) would have passed and we would be moving forward on this project,” Britz said. “But, we hit a bump in the road and we’ll work forward.”