After voting in August to
expand on the current Loudon County Justice Center property,
Loudon County Corrections Partnership Committee members
apparently called an audible and decided to at least
consider a new facility in the Centre 75 Business Park off
Interstate 75 in Loudon.
Members reviewed numerous options during a Wednesday meeting, including renovating the current facility to house 275 beds at a cost of $19 million. A similar option consisted of an extra courtroom and 275 beds and would cost $20 million.
A $16 million third option
included room for 233 beds and the relocation of Loudon
County Fire and Rescue Squad from its location on
Sugarlimb Road.
“So they’re looking at a
renovation of the existing Justice Center for about $20
million, which includes a one additional court and
expanding the jail population — the bed count — to 275
and all the things it takes to make both of those things
work,” Jay Henderlight, MBI architect, said.
Leo Bradshaw, jail
committee member and a Loudon County commissioner, said
the plan would “eliminate the transport of inmates” to
Loudon County Courthouse by potentially housing criminal
court on-site. The plan would also reduce labor costs
and help improve safety for officers.
After options were
presented, committee members considered building a jail
on a new site similar to a project in Monroe County.
Henderlight said Monroe’s facility will cost about $30
million.
Loudon County Sheriff Tim
Guider said he was in favor of building on a new piece
of property so the county would not need more jail space
for the foreseeable future. He said asking the county to
fund a project for more jail space will not be a
“popular sale.”
“Looking at what Monroe
County has proposed and what they’ve already done,
they’re going to have plenty of space for future
additions or expansions, I guess, where we’ll be all but
landlocked here for sure,” Guider said. “That’s where
we’ll be, and I felt like — in ‘04, well, it all started
in like ‘01 in planning and things. We moved here in
‘04, so I felt like even then the term may be ‘spending
good money after bad.’ ... But I would hate to just see
us do that again.”
The last expansion to the
Justice Center was in 2004 and included the addition of
34 beds, more office space and courtroom renovations,
Guider said. That project cost about $5 million at the
time.
Bradshaw said he has
reservations on how much support there will be for a new
Justice Center, but still thinks there is a
“possibility.”
“I guess I wasn’t really
leaning that direction until I seen the cost involved
with doing the other options, but there’s only about —
between option two and option one, there was only about
$1.5 million difference, so that made a difference,” he
said. “And then if option two is the time it’s finished
is probably going to be more like $21-$22 million, I
think, difference between that and 30 (million) — it’s
not that huge amount of money that makes you really
consider spending more money and really taking care of
the problem for several, 20, 30, 40 years.”
During Loudon County
Commission meeting in February, Bradshaw estimated a
facility in the range of $12-$14 million will raise a
tax rate 5-6 pennies, while $25 million will raise the
tax rate 8-9 pennies.
The next jail committee
meeting is set for noon April 20 at the Justice Center.
Loudon City Council will be invited, and Loudon County
Budget Director Tracy Blair will be in attendance. Blair
will attend to help committee members with financial
considerations.
“They will be trying to
make a determination based off their current financial
situation whether they will propose to the county
commission the $20 million project or the $30 million
project,” Henderlight said. “... They’re doing research
this week, working with their finance director to just
see what’s the impact to be able to come up with the
monies for each of those.”
According to the Loudon
County Property Assessors Office, a deed from 1999 shows
the county and city of Loudon both share ownership in
Centre 75 Business Park.
About 15 acres will be
needed for a new facility, Bradshaw said.
Members will meet with
county commission at 6 p.m. April 28 at the Loudon
County Courthouse.
“The scope is very similar
to their scope,” Henderlight said about the Monroe
County facility. “They’re just wanting to kick around is
it worth building a brand new one instead of spending 20
(million dollars) for renovating an existing one, (or)
would it be better to spend 30 (million dollars) and
have a whole new facility?”