A 36,000-square-foot building at 3403 Concord Road, across the street from the York County Prison, soon will be able to house 300 prisoners. (John A. Pavoncello photo)
A former tire-treading business is expected to house about 200 York County Prison work-release inmates by the end of the year.

County engineer John Klinedinst said the project, which got under way last year, is about 40 percent complete.

Crews are expected to remove multiple trailers — in which most work-release prisoners have been staying since they were installed in 2000 — by Dec. 31, he said.

The York County Commissioners on Wednesday approved four change orders totaling about $26,000 for the $4.5 million project.

But Klinedinst said the county has only used about 16 percent of its $350,000 contingency, and he's expecting the project to come in under budget.

Wednesday's change orders included unexpected issues for which the contingency was budgeted. Among the issues were the removal of an unforeseen concrete slab, extra cameras for the secure facility and additional framing needed on the site.

Making room: Commissioners in February 2011 voted to buy the former Service Tire Truck Center, which had been vacant for about a year, for $1.1 million.

The 36,000-square-foot building at 3403 Concord Road, across the street from the Springettsbury Township prison, will have excess capacity, with 300 beds.

County officials have said they'll save about $100,000 per year on rental for the trailers, and the new building will also free beds in the main prison. In the main prison, the county turns a profit housing federal detainees through U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Chief clerk/administrator Chuck Noll has said the new facility could pay for itself in three to six years, depending on the number of additional ICE prisoners housed.

— Reach Christina Kauffman at 505-5436, ckauffman@yorkdispatch.com, or follow her on Twitter at @YDYorkCounty.