Board of Supervisors: Jail Site Decision Later this Year

The Board of Supervisors discussed possible jail sites at their meeting today. Flood Recovery manager Bill Cherry spoke to the members about several potential jail sites.

Supervisor Larry Bradt was concerned about the designed capacity of the Central Bridge wastewater if the jail site was placed there. Supervisor Tague added, “I sent Bill [Cherry] the information.”

Supervisor Tony VanGlad of Gilboa discussed the twelve original sites recommended by Cherry and the Committee whittled it down to five potential spots. VanGlad would like to further reduce the number of choices to three and asked the Board to give opinions. He asked the Treasurer how quickly he would need a response. Cherry said that all five needed more information and requested the Supervisors waited until then to fill out any survey.

“We know that it has to be out of the 500 year flood plain,” Cherry said, “Topography is an issue. Distance from the County building is an issue.” Supervisor Federice asked about how the ranking is different than how the Seebold site was chosen. Cherry replied that many of the factors were similar but factors had changed.

Leo McAllister asked about a timeframe for choosing a jail site. “It would appear we need to make a decision relatively quickly,” he said. Cherry replied that even if the reports were in at the November meeting, the Board would still need time to review. He said that there could be intervening factor, including potential legal issues or cost. He said it would likely take until the end of the year.