The DeKalb County Jail Committee will pursue sites outside of downtown Smithville for a new jail.
The Jail Committee voted this week to remove the downtown options on a 9-2 vote. Jail Committee Chairman Larry Green said the committee is now pursuing two green space sites.
“I’d rather keep those under a hat right now, and while most people know one is on Smith Road and one is on Robinson Road, if you know anything about Smithville,” Green said. “So there’s two options there, and hopefully we will make a decision to go with one of those.”
Green said the committee opted not to pursue an expansion of the current jail due to the significant cost difference. The cost to expand the current jail to a 200-bed facility was an estimated $43.8 million, while a new jail at a new site would cost an estimated $35 million.
“Part of the old jail was built in 1959, and then the other part of it was the new expansion that was built in 2000-2001,” Green said. “And the thing that you had to go in there and you didn’t really know what you were getting into, especially in the old part, and when you start knocking down walls and tearing up floors because we were gonna have to basically gut it.”
Green said that after finalizing a location, the county will then need to hire an architect.
“Getting the architect and TCI, and the sheriff, and the county commission together and deciding what exactly what we want in this jail,” Green said. “Because TCI has a lot of input into it because they are the ones that regulate it.”
Green said the recommendation to not pursue a downtown Smithville location will be voted on at the next full commission meeting Monday.
