The evacuation of the Middlesex Jail in Cambridge over the weekend highlighted the overcrowding problem, but a state official said steps are being taken to permanently vacate the highrise, which was also home to the Middlesex Superior Court and the Third District Court.
Sunday, a group of inmates flooded part of the jail by pulling down parts of the fire suppression system, according to the Middlesex Sheriff's Department. The vandalism occurred after inmates became concerned that the H1N1 virus, or swine-flu virus, was spreading around the jail when one inmate was diagnosed with the disease and others came down with flu-like symptoms.
The jail occupies the upper floors of Edward J. Sullivan Courthouse which is not far from the CambridgeSide Galleria. Two courts occupied the lower floors of the highrise - the Middlesex Superior Court and the Third District Court.
Both courts moved out of the building to allow workers to remove asbestos. Superior Court moved to Woburn in March 2008, and in February, the Third District Court moved to Medford.
After further study of the building, officials have pulled the plug on planned renovations, said Kevin Flannigan, a deputy director with the state Department of Capital Asset Management.
"There are currently no renovations going on at the Sullivan building, nor are there imminent plans to start the renovation work," Flannigan said. "A detailed analysis of the building's condition was completed last year. The renovation of the building, to make it suitable for longterm use, is much more involved and much more expensive than previously thought and it may not be cost effective."
The building dates to the 1960s, Flannigan said, and modernizing it would require more than just asbestos removal.
"The building analysis included all the systems, and there were issues there," Flannigan said. "All the mechanical, electrical, plumbing goes back to the '60s. To replace or do major repairs of all those systems would be very costly. They would have to do the elevators, the HVAC, the whole thing."
With the courts moved out, the jail and the sheriff's office are the two major departments remaining to be relocated. Flannigan said his department is working with the Department of Correction on a Corrections Master Plan.
Where the jail will be moved has not been decided.
"The goal is to have them relocated in nine months," Flannigan said.
When inmates were moved out of the Cambridge facility Sunday they were taken to jails in Billerica, Middleton, Dedham and Boston, according to the sheriff's office.
If the courts and jail move out of the Cambridge highrise permanently, Flannigan said the state can sell the property.
"In 2008, a General Government Bond Bill passed which authorized the sale of the building if necessary," Flannigan said.
The state has a multi-year lease for the Woburn location, Flannigan said.
(Charlie Breitrose can be reached at 508-626-3964 or cbreitro@cnc.com.)
