Jail project to be completed December 1

      The bad news is that the $500,000 that the county agreed to add to the building of the Washington County jail will probably have to be used before the project is done. The good news is that Washington County Sheriff Jerry Dunbar has already been in contact with entities that wish to pay to house prisoners in the new jail.

      Thursday morning, Dunbar said due to projects that have had to be removed from the jail project, for which Washington County voters approved a $4.6 million bond referendum, he believes all of the $500,000 the county had agreed to put into the project will be used. Walking through the construction site, Dunbar commented that in several areas he did not know if the money would be available to finish the project slated for the space in the building. During the bidding process for the jail, the paving of the parking lot, a sally port and the work release areas were taken out of the project.

      "The $500,000 won't cover all of that," he said. "What we will do is spend what we can, trying to prioritize some things. I imagine it will all be used. I can't imagine it wouldn't be."

      He plans to encourage the Washington County Board of Supervisors to take steps to complete the project as quickly as possible after the initial building. He said the county would probably have to wait about a year before making any additions to the completed project.

      "We will just get by and make it work," he said.

      Dunbar said that with most of the structure complete, the jail is on its way to the projected Dec. 1 opening on schedule. Once open, the jail will be able to house 44 prisoners. He said the electricians are starting to run wire and the plumbers are getting sinks installed in the cells. Dunbar hopes that fiber optic cable for the networking between the jail and the Safety Center will begin next week. Dunbar commented with a smile that workers had begun to install windows in the facility.