Click above for look at jail expansion progress.
By Frank Phillips
DLC Media News
Brazil – Clay County officials hope the expansion of the Clay County Justice Center will be completed by the end of next January, said County Commissioner Marty Heffner in an exclusive interview with DLC Media News on Monday. However, that date is far from being set in stone.
“All of our foundations are now complete,” Heffner said. “They are in the process of erecting steel for the outer shell of the building.”
The push is on to get the outer shell up so work can begin on the interior.
Much of the renovation to the interior of the existing Justice Center is complete. That was originally going to be done later, but winter weather cooperated and because the same kitchen space and laundry will be used for the entire jail, it was better to work on the renovations to the existing building now.
“Most of the work inside the existing Justice Center is going to be all completed by the first of March,” Heffner said.
The laundry dryers are in place. Much of the new kitchen equipment will soon be installed. Brick is being installed on the outside of the new addition. A new transformer has been installed to meet the electric power demands.
Much of the construction was not evident, “but when the crane went up, then you could really start seeing things take place.”
Although the addition is being built because the jail population has steadily increased since the current building opened in 2006, it will be a while before the jail population numbers increase substantially in the future. Inmates in the current jail will be moved to the new area so renovation of the current area can be completed.
Renovation of the current area is needed because inmates do not try to take care of the jail. Heffner said studies indicate a jail ages seven years for each year it is in existence.
Inmates “are in there 24 hours a day, seven days a week and those people are not in there to take care of it,” Heffner said. “So, it ages much quicker than a normal building does.”
Past problems have made upgrading the water system necessary.
The Justice Center inmate population “is at capacity once again.”
Before the current jail opened in 2006, lawsuits were filed against the county due to over crowding. If the jail expansion was not completed now, lawsuits would be filed against the county for overcrowding once again. In fact, the American Civil Liberties Union plans a jail inspection here in the near future.
“We had plenty of room in 2012,” Heffner said. “But by 2019 we had reached capacity.”
“By 2030, it was projected that our 176-bed capacity would be at 240 inmates per day,” Heffner said. “That doesn’t work real good. The drug problem and all the illegals coming in from the border, we’re going in the wrong direction. Hopefully, we’re getting a head start on this so we won’t have that ACLU lawsuit for overcrowding.”
Lower interest rates and with the help of the County Council, the time was just right, was Heffner’s conclusion. “Our goal was to be able to do this and not raise taxes.”
Heffner said Clay County officials have not looked ahead to the future of the Justice Center beyond the expansion that is now being built. The Justice Center was originally designed for expansion as more beds became necessary. Heffner said there is real estate available and the building’s design is such that another expansion would be possible.
Heffner expressed hope that the nation will get the drug problem under control.
“Hopefully, the county never needs that (additional expansion),” he said.