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Show mrnlt Ohmnt Bee Second Section Coalville, Utah 84017, Fridnjr, Mny 23, 1980 Unquestionably the most interesting feature of the whole building. Third graders tour the new prison facilities in the Summit County Courthouse addition. The visitors room, from the prisoners point of view. Summit County Courthouse addition open for inspection By Louise Page To anyone visiting the Summit County Courthouse in recent . years, the sight of people filling the halls, standing and sitting, working on any available flat surface, in every nook and cranny, has become all to familiar. But, , the crowding soon will be history. The long awaited addition to the courthouse was opened to the public on Monday, May 19 and was an immediate success. This expansion will provide new office space for.eyery major department of county government. For those of you who have been unable to tour the new facility, the Bee offers the brief following description. The new South Entrance takes us through a small foyer into a large two story vestibule. To the right is the door into the Recorders Office. To the left, the Commissioners Cham- the North of the old courthouse. Situated in the space formerly occupied by the old county jail law, complete with steel picnic table, firmly anchored to the house, this wing houses the new courtroom, located on the left as you enter from the outside. The Treasurers Office, computer room and Assessor's Office are located on the right. The huge attic area over the new addition houses the likewise huge heating and cooling systems. Upstairs on the north eiid of the is- - unquestionably the:-- : most interesting , feature of the whole building, (ask any school child who took the tour), the jail house. No matter which way you enter the jail house, through the night entrance at the rear of the building, the Sheriffs entrance from the basement, or the prisoners entrance from the courtroom, you are very much bers. Just beyond, a double aware of being shut off from the stairway leads up either side of the rest of the world. The jail house vestibule to the second floor. has absolutely no windows. This is Beyond the stairways the public in itself not as oppressive as it entrance into the Recorders Office might seem, but certainly makes and beyond there, the vaults. one aware of being incarcerated. Opposite the Recorders Office the The first thought that crossed my Clerk's Office is located. mind when entering one of the maximum security cells was How Upstairs, from the South Foyer, would I effect an escape from we find the County Attorneys here?" I guess prison does that to Library, work room and offices you. located on the West. And, on the To say, its a real nice jail house, Eastwe find offices and rooms for sounds a little incongruous, but it the Sheriff and the Highway is. Patrol. The new West Entrance is at the In the mens prison area, there is rear of the parking area, located to a day room, as required by federal .. concrete floor. Eight double occupancy cells, three maximum security cells, a drunk tank and a shower area. Eahc cell is equipped with its own steel sink, toilet, two steel cots and a steel mirror, all firmly anchored to the walls. The only access into each maximum security cell is a solid steel door and the walls are all steel lined. For the women, there is a smaller version of the mens day room, also equipped with anchor- -' ed steel picnic table, three cells and a shower area. The design of the jail house allows visibility, into all areas of confinement, from the dispatchers office. And at the same time completely isolates the dispatcher from the prison proper; and, the men from the women. In addition, there is a closed circuit TV and sound system allowing the dispatcher to monitor all activities in the prison area, as well as in the south entrance, and to the east, we find the Sheriffs garage, and just above that, the visitors entrance to the jail house. Both are monitored by closed circuit TV. The remainder of the basement holds storage rooms. There is no direct access from the Sheriffs garage to the rest of the basement. But, there is direct access from the Sheriffs garage to the jail house. Built at a cost of just under $2,000,000, the new addition was designed by Architect Sterling Lyon and constructed by Jay Wadman. Photos by Carolyn Winters All day Monday and Tuesday poeple toured through the new addi- tion, which was an instant success. Sheriff's garage, outside the Sheriff's garage and at the outside visitors entrance. There is a small visitors room, with the prisoners side accessible from the prison side only and the visitors side accessible from the dispatchers side only. Between the two, there is a steel wall with a small, security glass window. A very interesting place to visit, but, you wouldnt want to stay there. In the basement, just below the Reed Pace in a pensive moment Up, up, and away to the Summit County Jailhouse .i How would I effect an escape from here?" Just part of the huge heating system. |