Santee

Santee officials lost another round Thursday in the city’s attempt to block further construction of a temporary, 600-bed county jail for men next to the Las Colinas women’s jail.

A written decision released Thursday by Superior Court Judge Harold Wolters said the county can extend Cottonwood Avenue past the jail site along an existing roadway easement.

The ruling also said the easement can be used to run gas, water and electricity lines to the new jail, a facility that county officials say is needed to help alleviate chronic jail crowding.

“While improving the (unpaved roadway easement) is a change to that area, such change will not interfere with the rights of either party so long as certain conditions are met,” Wolters wrote.

The conditions Wolters specified are:

- The paved extension must be the same width as the existing street, with no unpaved areas between them.

- Construction of the extension must meet Santee’s minimum standards for such an improvement, thereby qualifying the entire road for city maintenance.

- The road and utilities extensions must be made in accordance with engineering plans and specifications that conform to those usually used for similar projects.

The plans must be presented to the City Council for review and approval, which Wolters said “shall be expeditiously made and shall not be contingent upon conformance with plans or concepts the city or any other agency may have under consideration for the affected area.”

City officials and many residents have vigorously opposed the jail expansion project, which is in the middle of a planned downtown redevelopment area near schools and housing areas.

They also contend that the facility will remain in place much longer than the seven years promised by county officials, who hope to build new permanent jails by then.

Site grading is nearly complete and installation of the prisoner barracks has begun. Inmates are scheduled to begin arriving Sept. 1.