As members of the Carroll County Board of Supervisors and Carroll County Jail Committee travel to make presentations in communities throughout the county and open up the jail for tours, they are also answering questions being raised. The proposed new 16,800 square-foot jail will be attached to the west side of the Carroll County Courthouse in a design that is meant to bring to life a 50+-year-old plan for seamless expansions. Sheriff Ken Pingrey adds it will also be one that is unidentifiable as an actual jail to those who don’t know what it houses.
After extensive training through the PONI (Planning Of New Institutions) program and reaching out to adjacent counties for tours and input, the committee and supervisors selected Shive Hattery to conduct a needs assessment. This was a comprehensive study of what the county needs, not just now, but 50 years into the future.
The current 14 beds in three units are not meeting the mandated space requirements in addition to being in very rough condition.
Pingrey adds that right now, if four people are arrested, they have one make-shift holding cell that will hold two on the floor and then the rest have to go into general population. In the new jail, they could get 14 people into holding cells, kept away from the general population. The new design is also needed for the safety of the staff. Pingrey says their needs are the foremost consideration.
The last public tour hosted 28 attendees, and Pingrey says they will be holding these right up through Nov. 5. Everyone is invited to learn more about the proposed plans for the $8.95 million bond referendum and to get a first-hand look at the current jail in the next tours scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 29 at 3 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 30 at 7 p.m. and Friday, Aug. 31 at 10:30 a.m.
