Wood County Supervisors have approved the bonding for the proposed jail expansion next year.
County board chairman Lance Pliml says it's a needed upgrade.
Capacity was one concern.
“We’ve been shipping about 100 prisoners constantly for the last ten years roughly. The other one was obsolescence. We have a linear design and we also can’t get parts.”
Pliml says the county was in a position where they could either spend more to maintain the current facility, or spend less to build new.
“Roughly $130-million we’ll spend roughly over the next 30 years if we build a jail, versus $160-million that we’ll spend if we don’t. That’s as we roll in all the operational costs, costs of repairs and all of the other issues”
Pliml believes a more modern jail will mean a safer environment for everyone.
The borrowing plan calls for the county to bond $61.5 million for the facility.
That includes $58 million for the jail itself and another $3.5 million for other projects.
Bonds will likely be issued early next year, with construction slated to start in May of 2022.
