By WES REYNOLDS
Journal Staff Writer
A tour Friday by county officials of the new 160-bed addition to the Houston County jail signaled the project’s completion
The endeavor carried an $8 mil. price tag and was designed by JMA Architecture of Perry.
When the jail opened, only 7 years ago, it was equipped with a 506-bed capacity. According to officials, the nearly 85 inmates boarded out of the jail in 2009 cost the county $790,000 in relocation expenses.
Ned Sanders, chairman of the Houston County Commission, said county population growth caused the crime rate to grow as well.
In the last decade, the county’s population increased from 110,000
Warner Robins Mayor Chuck Shaheen, who was on hand for the tour, said he was impressed with how the expansion turned out.
“This was a proactive step that needed to be taken,” Shaheen said. “As our city grows, crime also grows and the expansion was very necessary.”
Houston County Sheriff’s Maj. and Jail Administrator, Charles Holt, said the new addition should meet the county’s inmate housing needs for the next few years.
“When the original facility opened in Feb. 2003, nobody anticipated this need to happen so fast,” Holt said. “We have been paying a heavy expense related to housing and transporting inmates out to other facilities. Now we can avoid that expense.”
Holt said none of the new beds are currently being used by inmates. A space-cushion created by the addition will allow staff to move inmates around and complete maintenance work on the facility.
The 160-bed expansion includes modern technology features, such as electronic touchscreen monitor controls, capable of opening and closing cell doors.
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