Plans to demolish old Monterey County Jail moving forward
UPDATE 6/20/16 10:15 PM: The old Monterey County Jail on West Alisal Street in Salinas may soon be on the chopping block.
On Monday, county leaders encouraged staff to look into turning the 80-year-old building into a park.
“A national registered building should not be torn down. That’s ridiculous,” said Nancy Runyon with the Alliance of Monterey Area Preservationists.
Runyon stood before county leaders at the Capitol Improvement Committee Meeting, asking them to save the building and explore other options.
“If you’re just constantly tearing everything down, everything disposable, you have no sense of roots, no pride in your community,” said Runyon.
The old jail was built in the 1930s and has an asbestos problem. County leaders said in the last few years they’ve already spent more than $100,000 preserving the jail but restoration efforts would cost millions.
“We have a lot of demands for the limited county resources that we have to deal with. That is part of the process we have to go on, as elected officials, to figure out do we want to spend that kind of money,” said Simon Salinas, Supervisor District 3.
Stakeholders agree, most are in favor of demolishing the building and turning the area into a commemorative park in honor of civil rights activist Cesar Chavez, who was jailed there in the 1970s.
“At the end, the community can weigh in and that’s what we encourage people to voice their opinions. But at the end the process can’t stop, at some point we have to make a decision,” said Salinas.
Still, preservationists said the jail could be converted into a museum or offices.
“To think that they have pursued all the options that could have is quite premature and to talk about demolishing the building, is going to be a big fight in the California preservation community,” said Runyon.
The environmental study will cost $190,000. It could be a year or more before any decision is made by county supervisors.
PREVIOUS: More than 70 years old, the old Monterey County Jail located on West Alisal Street in Salinas may be demolished and turned into a commemorative park.
On Monday, county leaders supported staff to move forward with an environmental impact report. But the Alliance of Monterey Area Preservationists said the building should be restored as it’s listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
KION’s Monica Jacquez will have more on the story at 10 p.m. and 11 p.m.
