Santa Barbara County Northern Branch Jail on track for June 2019 completion

The largest public works project in Santa Barbara County history is on track for completion with the anticipated opening of the new Northern Branch Jail in June 2019.

After decades of trying to get a north County Jail built, its now the home stretch for the new 376 bed facility that broke ground about two years ago.

The new Northern Branch Jail has gradually risen up on about 50 acres of former farmland on the western outskirts of Santa Maria.

“We’re about two-thirds complete on the construction”, said Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department Commander Tom Jenkins who is on-site supervisor for the new jail project, “we have about another nine months to go with the current planned opening date of June of 2019.”

A daily construction crew of about 100 mostly local workers has nearly completed the facade and roof of the 133,000 square foot facility with work underway on the interior walls, electrical and plumbing.

“The good news there is the weather we had last year that may have hurt us won’t bother us this year”, Cmdr Jenkins said, “now the work of the Sheriff’s Department staff and our plan of opening and how we’re going to use the facility really needs to take place.”

More than 120 full-time correctional deputies and staff will operate the 376 bed Northern Branch Jail with the Sheriff’s Department and the county actively recruiting and hiring new personnel.

“We’re also doing training for our staff because we’re going to be doing this as a mostly direct supervision facility”, Jenkins said, “direct supervision is relatively new to Santa Barbara County, so we actually have a Direct Supervision Unit that is being operated down by the Main Jail as a test platform to get us accustomed to the new modality that this jail represents to us.”

About 90 percent of the estimated $110 million price tag for construction of the new Northern Branch Jail is being picked up by the State of California.