Greene County Commission announces details of new $150 million jail facility

The Greene County Commission announced the construction of a new county jail during a press conference on Wednesday, Dec. 4. The new jail will be built on a 23-acre lot located at the intersection of Division Street and Haseltine Road, just east of White Chapel, and will be able to house up to 1,407 inmates.
Donna Barton, Public Information Officer for the Greene County Commission, said the county hopes to begin construction in the next few months and that the building will be completed within two years.
“We hope to begin construction sometime in the spring of 2020, with an anticipated completion date of 2022,” she said.
The budget for the new jail, Barton said, is $150 million, and construction is being paid for with the half-cent sales tax which voters approved in 2017.
Presiding Commissioner Bob Dixon described the jail as “a solution that is fiscally responsible” during the press conference.
“It saves ongoing tax dollars, $95 million over a 20-year period,” he said. Dixon also said the county would be saving money because they would no longer have to transport “inmates all over the state” and because the new jail design would allow for indirect supervision of the inmates.”
Not everyone in Greene County is happy with the location of the new jail, though Dixon said there had been no complaints from the owners of land adjacent to the jail’s location.
“Our staff did talk to all of the adjacent land owners,” he said during the conference. “We did not receive any negative feedback going through the process.”
Dixon also said commission worked hard to be respectful to all Greene County residents in choosing the location.
“Our intention and desire and what we will do is to be very respectful of all of our citizens,” he said. “We looked at the options that we had; this is the best option; we think it is an excellent option. The cemetery is pleased; I know that they’re going to be, from their expression, appreciative of the increased law-enforcement presence.”
Barton said the location was chosen because it was determined to be the most suitable for the new jail.
“When determining the location of the jail, we had many factors to consider, including the availability of the amount of land we needed, what surrounded the potential property, the availability of utilities, sewer, roads and transportation, and of course, cost,” she said. “As you can imagine, not all real estate fit those needs. With all factors considered and after much due diligence, it was determined the area at Division and Haseltine would accommodate this project as well as provide future growth needs as warranted in the future.”
Barton also said a lot of thought went into picking a location before a final decision was made.
“Arriving at this location was not something that happened overnight,” she said. “Our goal and our mandate are to provide the citizens of Greene County a jail facility that will meet our community needs all while best using the funds and resources available. We like to refer to this location as the ‘Good Stewardship Option’ because moving the jail to this new location creates an opportunity to relocate most of the Greene County Sheriff Office operations to one campus and the long-term benefits are substantial.”
A decision on what to do with the old jail building has not yet been made. Barton said the commission is exploring ways the county could possibly use the building.
“Plans for the existing jail have not been finalized, but the commission is looking at possible county uses for the building,” she said. “As was mentioned during the press conference, the county currently rents four floors of the Cox North Medical Tower, so any ability to use existing space to eliminate renting space is being explored.”