Two Bellingham firms will help design, build new Whatcom County jail
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- Whatcom County selected Bellingham firms RAM and RMC for jail project design.
- Clark Construction joins local firms to lead jail and behavioral center build.
- New jail targets 2028 opening, funded by 2023 criminal justice sales tax.
Whatcom County officials have settled on a team of companies to design and build the new Whatcom County jail, including two well-known Bellingham construction and architectural firms.
Finalists include RMC Architects and RAM Construction of Bellingham, along with Clark Construction, a nationwide firm, it was announced in a Tuesday meeting of the Whatcom County Council’s Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee.
Rob Ney, project and operations manager for the Whatcom County Facilities Management Department, told the committee that local officials are close to finalizing a deal to build the new jail, which has been sought since the county began to outgrow its current jail in the early 2000s.
“There is some good national expertise on this team and also some good local knowledge. It was this team that collectively sold that bid. Their expertise is what really sold it,” Ney said.
Jed Holmes, spokesman for the Whatcom County Executive’s Office, told The Herald that an official announcement is expected soon.
“The county anticipates entering a contract with a joint venture between Clark Construction and RAM Construction, which will lead a team responsible for designing and building the county’s new jail and behavioral care center. The team also includes Nelson Worldwide Architects and RMC Architects, a Bellingham-based firm. We’ll be issuing a statement as soon as the contract is signed, which may be later today or tomorrow,” Holmes said in an email Tuesday.
RMC is known across Whatcom County for its modern designs for offices and multifamily housing projects, including, the new Bellingham Public Schools office, the Way Station and the State Street Creamery apartments. RAM, which was founded by two former Bellingham firefighters, is known for road and building construction projects around the area.
Part of the construction and planning process has to do with the jail’s anticipated capacity and other needs. An analysis presented to the Whatcom County Council over the summer estimated that the jail would require 480 beds by 2030 based on current trends in the county’s population, jail admissions, average daily population in the jail and average length of stay.
Capacity at the existing Whatcom County jail is 362 people, including 150 at the work center. In reality, the county said the jail should have beds for more than 400.
Discussions are also ongoing about the Behavioral Care Center. Behavioral health has been a focus of the new jail, and the location of the dedicated center is still under discussion. Whether or not it is next to the main facility or elsewhere will likely have an impact on the cost.
The money has already been amassed as part of the criminal justice sales tax passed in 2023, though it’s not all accessible at once. Regular budget check-ins with the council allow those working on the jail to request access to more funds as needed. There will be no added cost to taxpayers.
The next phases of the jail’s planning and construction include stakeholder meetings, behavioral care needs analysis and community engagement. An update will likely be provided to the County Council in two weeks.
The county hopes to have the new jail operational by 2028.
