County officials mulling possible sites for a new jail are holding a trio of public forums to hear from the community but none of the three will be held in Redwood City, home of the current facility and possibly the location of a new, bigger building.

The suggestion of a new jail in Redwood City sparked a war of words earlier this year between Redwood City residents and councilmembers in addition to San Mateo County officials. A decision has yet to be made but the county hopes to narrow options by hearing what the community wants and discussing the ongoing problems of overcrowding, recidivism and projections for new jails for both women and men.

The meetings will be facilitated by the League of Women Voters beginning Oct. 15 in San Mateo, San Carlos and South San Francisco. The lack of a Redwood City meeting site is less likely an oversight and more a result of situating forums in the north, south and middle portions of San Mateo County.

The Board of Supervisors’ opposition to a Redwood City initiative, crimping development on land deemed open space, threw a new wrench into the debate over location. If the county can’t unload the current jail site on Maple Street in Redwood city, the supervisors surmised at their last meeting, the jail will undoubtedly be re-built on that land. The parcel is untouchable as county land but, if sold to another party, would be affected by the initiative if it passes. As a result, the county fears the land would not bring in the bids, or the profit, needed to relocate the jail to a new location.

County staff is currently outlining objective criteria to rank the options and should head back to the Board of Supervisors later this year with a winnowed list, Board President Adrienne Tissier wrote in an Aug. 5 update to the Redwood City Council.

Timing is critical to building a new jail because of rising construction costs. The current $140 million price tag could balloon to $180 million by 2012 if the county doesn’t act quickly for the planned five-story building.

The push for a jail is not a new issue but took on new life when the supervisors considered buying the former Cemex parcel near the current facility. The land, at 1402-1450 Maple St., is less than 1,000 feet away from the already-approved 800-unit Peninsula Park mixed-use development. The developer reportedly grew incensed at the idea of a new multi-story jail so near and threatened to pull out of the project. The council in turn directed its wrath at the county, accusing officials of jeopardizing its hard-earned redevelopment plans and making decisions without input from either the council or the community. A grassroots group of opponents established www.nonewjails.com and continue to push back at the idea of a new or bigger facility in their backyard.

Ultimately, the negotiations fell through and the Cemex site came off the table. The county has since said it was not trying to make deals without public consideration.

Alongside the public forums, the county is also producing a three-to-five minute video with footage inside the jails to highlight why officials believe new facilities are needed. The video will air prior to the public meetings.

Michelle Durand can be reached by e-mail: michelle@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 102.  

Info box: The public meetings on jail planning are scheduled for 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 15 at the Senior Center, 2645 Alameda de las Pulgas, San Mateo; Thursday, Oct. 16 at Central Middle School, 828 Chestnut St., San Carlos; and Thursday, Oct. 23 at El Camino High School, 1320 Mission Road, South San Francisco.