A new jail is desperately needed in Sullivan County, say county commissioners.
They heard plans and pitches from architecture firms at a meeting Monday for a new jail. The current jail is about 35 years old. It’s also overcrowded and commissioners say they are trying to get a jump on the issue now rather than wait for it to get worse.
“At this point in time we’re still gathering information, trying to figure out what we want to do,” said Commissioner Robert Davis. “There’s a lot of steps to his process and we’re learning more as we go.”
One of the firms that made a pitch at last night’s meeting was Ellvatus Architecture, which is based out of Fort Wayne. They are the same firm that built the Clay County jail and Adam County jail. They’re also done some work on the federal prison in Terre Haute.
Commissioners are still figure out if they want to build a new jail or expand on the current jail. That’s not as big an issue as how to pay for it. So far there is no plan yet on raising funds for either avenue of the project.
