By Sherri Blevins
The DeKalb County Commission took a bold step during the February 14, 2023, DeKalb County Commission meeting approving $4.8 million for the renovation project at the DeKalb County Jail. County Administrator Matt Sharp explained why this move was necessary and in the best interest of the residents of DeKalb County.
Sharp outlined the process that has led the Commission to this point. He said the renovation project was first bid out in November 2021. Those bids came in significantly higher than the Commission anticipated, so they were rejected, and the Commission bid it out again. The second round of bids was still too high, so the original plans were redesigned to a very simplistic state, hoping the bids would be lower than before. The new bids would provide for 88 beds. The existing plan was reduced by about 20% to make it affordable for the County. Sharp stated that the base bid plus the alternates needed originally was $5.6 million. Sharp said, “That was a good bit more than we had wanted to spend and could afford to spend. …By reducing the size a little bit, they cut back the price by $780,000, making the new bid about $4.8 million.”
Sharp explained that the County had set up a bond fund a few years ago, thinking that $3.5 million would be enough for the jail. The County borrowed $5 million and spent approximately two million on roads saving the rest for the jail renovation. The remainder is insufficient to cover the $4.8 million needed, but Sharp said ARPA funds were available to make up the difference.
He went on to explain the reason for the renovation. In 2001, the old jail sustained fire damage, and temporary domes were added outside the jail to house prisoners and eliminate overcrowding. When the new jail was built in 2006, the domes were relocated to the new jail site. Over twenty-something years, the igloo-like structures have deteriorated and need replacing. Sharp emphasized that no one wanted to spend money on a jail, not even the sheriff. He said, “We didn’t want to do it in 2001, we didn’t want to do it in 2006, and we don’t want to do it now, but when you look at crime, the recent release of prisoners from the state which is leading to rearrests, its just the times we live in. Sometimes you have to do what you have to do. I am the financial person, and I don’t like to spend money on the jail; I had rather spend it on the roads, but it is necessary.”
President Harcrow responded to Sharp’s recommendation. He said, “We have been going through this for a long time. COVID has affected it; price increases have significantly affected that and everything else, so that is why we are where we are today. “
The Commissioners and Sheriff Welden agreed that no one wanted to spend money on a jail instead of roads, but it was necessary to protect the safety of the residents of DeKalb County.
In other business, the Commission approved the following requests:
• Hiring Drake Casey at the County Road Department for the Unit Crew in Fort Payne
• Hiring Jessica Johnson at the DeKalb County Jail after the resignation of Mitchell Smith
• Transferring Kizzy Jones from Assistant Chief Jail Administrator to Compliance Clerk
• Promoting Tracie Hamilton to Assistant Chief Jail Administrator
• Promoting Valerie Williams to Jail Financial Clerk
• Promoting Christina Cronnon to Executive Administrative Assistant
• Promoting Wendi Wright to Deputy Clerk
• Training Requests for Chief Seth Cagle and Deputy Chief Tracie Hamilton to attend the ACCA training on March 1 and 2
• Training Requests for Tracie Hamilton, Melissa Mason, and Kizzy Jones to attend the Alabama Jail Association Training in Orange Beach on April 22-27
• $17,780.00 for Traffic Striping Proposal from J.C. Cheek for County Roads 56, 106, and 177
• Forwarding a damage claim from Wylie Hatfield for broken glass to the insurance company
• 911 Board Appointments for Sheriff Nick Welden, Mayor Chuck Ables, and Jeff Buttrum
• Board Reappointment of Kenneth Black on the Blake Fire Protection Authority
The next meeting of the DeKalb County Commission will be on March 14, 2023.