Newly-renovated Alpharetta jail won't be used after all

ALPHARETTA - City officials said a newly expanded, 24-bed jail will not be used despite a $1.8 million renovation. The reason: an existing contract with neighboring Roswell is more cost effective, Alpharetta City Manager Bob Regus said. <br> <br> In fact, officials said the Alpharetta jail could remain empty for years until Roswell&#39;s runs out of space for visiting prisoners. Alpharetta officials said they did not consider a contract with their neighbor until renovations began on the city jail. Prisoners needed a place to stay during refurbishing. <br> <br> The city has paid an average of nearly $2,400 a month to rent cells from Roswell, four miles southwest of Alpharetta, since June 2001. Regus explained that the deal has worked out so well there doesn&#39;t seem to be any need to change it. The contract with Roswell will save Alpharetta about $300,000 a year, he said. <br> <br> But some question the logic behind the arrangement. Alpharetta hasn&#39;t determined the overall amount it will pay Roswell to house inmates, according to finance director Aaron Bovos. <br> <br> ``I&#39;m a little bit, I guess, disheartened on the fact that we would invest ... in a facility that&#39;s going to sit there and collect dust,&#39;&#39; City Councilman Doug DeRito said. <br> <br> The police department had recommended the city maintain its own lockup, Mayor Chuck Martin said. Now, the department supports the arrangement, saying it simply makes more sense. <br> <br> ``A jail is by far our highest liability item in law enforcement,&#39;&#39; Sgt. Chris Lagerbloom said. Police said it costs little to transport prisoners to Roswell, where Alpharetta maintains a full-time jailer to process its inmates. <br> <br> Martin acknowledged that the city&#39;s decision not to use the newly, renovated jail could be viewed as wasteful. That isn&#39;t the case, he said. The $1.8 million refurbishing project also included space for the city&#39;s 911 call center. <br> <br> ``The bad news is we will need that facility someday,&#39;&#39; Martin said. <br> <br>