Douglas Jail Construction Moving Along

The main housing, support and law enforcement buildings at new jail have been dried-in, and work is proceeding inside on the sheetrock, priming and lighting.

The got an update Friday from Chief Deputy Stan Copeland during a work session. The commissioners have their regular meeting Tuesday at 10 a.m. in Citizens Hall.

The electric and gas utilities at the new jail are in place, and testing has started on the HVAC systems. Construction on the $117 million facility began in late 2010.

Work on the 1,500-bed structure is expected to last for the better part of the year, with inmates in the new facility by December, Copeland said.

The brick and masonry structure will have three separate, interconnected wings with four-story units housing the inmates and law enforcement offices, while a support building will be three stories high.

The jail is being built on a 40-acre site near the county courthouse. Bonds to build the jail are backed by proceeds from a 1-cent special purpose local option sales tax (SPLOST), which was approved by voters and became effective April 1, 2010.