Halifax County commissioners today unanimously agreed to construct the new detention center on property off Highway 561, ditching initial plans to build the facility on Ferrell Lane at the courthouse project.
Commissioner Sammy Webb, who made the motion to move forward with the project, praised the arguments made by the town of Halifax in objecting to the Ferrell Lane location. “They had a petition, they called us, there were signs in the town saying no jail in the city limits. You have to respect the way they did it. They didn’t come in here and attack us.”
Webb said the town addressed its concerns in a civil manner. “Their concerns about that spot were great and on point, and it actually gives us a better location. I think it lets people know we do hear your concerns and we do take your concerns seriously.”
Blair Bordeaux of Bordeaux Construction said there were issues with the sewer infrastructure at the Ferrell Lane location as well as comments from the town that played into looking at the Highway 561 site.
The land on Highway 561 is larger and has space planned for future expansion, Bordeaux said. “It is probably set up better for the detention center.”
The new location mitigates the sewer infrastructure issue as well as the large cost associated with installing a privacy screen on the Ferrell Lane site, he said.
Changing the location, however, will create about a six-month delay in getting the site design underway. “We’re currently doing geotechnical borings and getting a summary of what kind of soil conditions we’re expecting on the site.”
Bordeaux said there will also be a traffic analysis done on the impact the new jail might have on Highway 561, as well as a site survey “to allow Moseley Architects and their team to really get underway with the design.”
Todd Davis of Moseley said that the architectural design that has already been done can be reused. “It’s primarily a civil redesign and not a full architectural start-over from the beginning. It still keeps the same number of beds we had at the first site. This site actually ends up being better because it gives you future expansion growth if you want to add something else to that same site.”
Bordeaux said mitigating the sewer and privacy issues generates a net-neutral cost impact, so the cost of building the facility will remain at an estimated $62 million.
He said the company is now scheduled to put the project out to bid in June or July of next year, with construction starting at that time. “With a 20-month time period, we would be targeting an early summer of 2029 opening.”
Sheriff Tyree Davis said he was good with the decision. “We have the exact same processes no matter where you put the detention center if it’s not connected to the courthouse itself. We have to get them out, search them, and put them in a van even if it's across the street to transport them over to the courthouse.”
He said there would be a cost associated with driving an inmate 500 feet from the jail to the courthouse versus driving them from Highway 561 to the courthouse. “I don’t want to say there’s no additional cost, but it’s not enough to realistically make a difference.”
Todd Davis of Moseley told the board that new jails located next to courthouses are becoming rare. “I think the last six or seven we’ve done have been off site. Being that this is only two miles away makes it a lot better than some we have done that have been five or eight miles away.”
