CLEVELAND - A crowd of nearly 600 turned out Sunday afternoon for the dedication and open house for White County's new Sheriff's Office and Detention Center on Hulsey Road north of Cleveland.
Addressing the crowd, Sheriff Neal Walden said the nine-month project is right on target budgetwise.
White County Commission Chairman Travis Turner told the crowd about the positive aspects of this project.
"Number one, construction of this jail was funded by the one penny SPLOST sales tax. Number two, while we are still putting the final numbers together, the project is looking to come in under budget," said Turner.
He also noted that since the project was completed before the deadline, the county's general fund will save money by not having to board out prisoners. In addition, that will save transportation costs, Turner said.
"We hope this new detention center will become an income producer, taking in prisoners for other counties."
Turner stated the county issued $9.1 million nearly 2 years ago for this 176- bed facility and added, "Even before we open the doors, the county has paid down the principal to $7.6 million dollars and each month the commissioners are putting aside money to pay the principal and interest."
The architect for this project, Larry Goldberg, said it took the cooperation of contractor Charles Black Construction, the board of commissioners, and Sheriff Walden to get to where the county is today. Goldberg said the facility is a fourth-generation radio podular design, with cells like spokes off a wheel, each one designed to address a different type of prisoner.
One detention officer in a central monitoring station can keep tabs on all detainees either by direct visual observation or through video cameras. The facility also has complete laundry, kitchen and medical sections.
Following the dedication and official ribbon cutting ceremony, the public had an opportunity to explore the state of the art facility up close.
Friday
May 10th, 2024
9:59AM
