HOUGHTON, Mich. (WZMQ) – A proposal towards many changes to the Houghton County Jail was delivered on Tuesday morning during a special commissioners meeting. After years of review from the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) the jail has received very poor scores through standard regulations.
Correctional facility architecture company ‘Securitecture’ has now set out a roughly $27 million renovation proposal, set to begin construction in 2026. Changes will include additional holding cells, more facilitated care, and major structural improvements. Two main options for the community were presented at the meeting, including differences in specifics such as cost, layouts, location, and size.
Securitecture President, Joeseph Mrak said that he was glad to hear people offering their civil inputs on the project.
“I think this is a great step, an opportunity for people to have their say, and there will be more of those opportunities,” said Mrak. “It is an expensive proposition, we all get that, but I think this was a great meeting, and I think it was conducted very well.”
No design has been made until the county decides which route it will take with the renovations. The Houghton County Board of Commissioners will be speaking more on the decision in a special meeting on May 5.
