FARMINGTON—It’s been four years in the making but the new Medical Observation Unit at the Davis County Correctional Facility is finally coming to fruition. 

“This is a wonderful day for me,” said Project Manager Davis County Sheriff’s Office, Mitch Matern at the groundbreaking on Feb. 5. “It’s taken four years to get here. It started on a scratch paper when Chief Butcher and I sat down to make it happen. It’s been an exciting road to get to this.”

The new unit replaces the current medical wing at the facility that opened in 1991 with six medical cells that are used primarily for taking care of minor medical needs only. The unit will have the capacity to serve 23 to 26 individuals, nearly four times the capacity of the existing medical wing, according to the DCSO.

“The layout is phenomenal,” said Matern. “There’s a male side with 14 individual cells and a male dorm that can house six. There’s also a female side with seven individual cells and a female dorm.”

There will be a dedicated pharmacy, a doctor’s office, telemed rooms, nurses station, deputy station and a padded safety cell, he said. “There will also be day rooms so they can go outside and a recreation room and it ties directly into the main facility.”

The county got involved in March 2018, said Davis County Commissioner Randy Elliott. “Sometimes government things can kind of drag out but we saw a need and knew we had to get going. We finagled the budget to find the money. The Sheriff is respectful and has compassion for all Davis County residents whether they’re in jail or they are law abiding citizens. This is a great project for Davis County.”

“We’re in the business of saving lives,” said Davis County Sheriff Kelly V. Sparks. “Lives will be saved in this facility. We all have a part in that. We live in a society where we can come together to take care of our own. It’s our fundamental duty to serve the community and enhance the quality of life for everyone in Davis County.”

The new unit was designed by Archiplex Group and Hogan Construction is the General Contractor. Estimated completion of the project is 12 months.

“It was interesting to design a building on Google Meets,” said Matern. “We learned a lot from it. It’s been an exciting road to get to this. This is going to be a wonderful project.”