A project to construct a new Saline County Jail and Sheriff’s Facility continues to move forward at a quick pace.

According to Saline County, some big stuff has been happening out at the site of the new Saline County Jail and Sheriff’s Facility. By which they mean big machinery moving around big piles of dirt and rocks. This equipment has been leveling the building pad upon which the new building will begin to arise during 2022. While a building pad is not the most exciting part of the construction process, it is critical to the overall project.

Concrete is scheduled to start being poured Monday, January 10th, for footings and foundation of the building. The construction team is also building a “mock up” of the individual cells, which will be used to make sure they have all of the pieces in the right places before the cells are cast in concrete.

The new jail project was approved by voters. A one-half percent sales tax to help pay for the new building was enacted on April 1st, 2021. Estimated completion date of  the project is September 2023.

Plans for the new jail include:

• Facility will be 392 beds. A consultant projected that by 2038 the average daily population would be over 400.
• Will have dedicated medical areas for males and females and dedicated areas for those that need mental health care.
• Expanded program space to add programs to help with rehabilitation and re-entry.
• Space for dedicated program staff with the potential to add facility specific social worker or mental health professional.
• Energy efficient, utilities that are more accessible for repairs, staff efficiencies.
• 49 additional full-time staff will be needed to run the facility at full capacity, the Jail already employs 55 people.
• Includes a new Sheriff’s Office space for Administration, Patrol, Investigations, and Records.

A letter has been received from the North Central Kansas Regional Juvenile Detention Facility, expressing interest in transforming the 1995 portion of the jail into a juvenile center run by them.

Staff has begun briefing the County Commission monthly regarding progress on the new jail. These briefings are typically scheduled on the second Tuesday of each month, at the regular Commission meeting which occurs at 9 a.m. You can view the meeting live on Channel 20 if you’re a Cox Cable subscriber, or either live or at your leisure by going to the County’s YouTube channel. The next briefing will occur next Tuesday, January 11.