News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Clay County officials have possible solutions to resolve the jail issue after a meeting with State Corrections Officials.
Clay County Sheriff Brandon Boone said the meeting with TCI proposed several possible directions for building a new jail or renovating the current jail. Boone said they have explored some proposed solutions but have not chosen a direction yet.
“I mean we’re at a point that the plan of action is a good thing you know it helps us,” Boone said. “But at some point, we have to, we have to do something, it’s just trying to figure out what we can do and what we can afford to do.”
The county jail has been under a plan of action from the state since 2012. The current jail was built in the 1960s and the facility does not meet current state regulations. Boone said remodeling the current jail would be like building a new one.
“In order to change that with our current jail you are gonna have to rip concrete out and a total renovation,” Boone said. “Which would in most people’s opinions be far more expensive than starting new.”
Boone said a solution proposed was to buy the property behind the jail, but after reaching out, the owner was not interested in selling the property.
“That idea sort of been shot down,” Boone said. “Clay County don’t currently own that, and then the only property currently that we own is where the proposed site was going to be, off of Gainesboro Highway.”
Boone said next step would be sharing the solutions with county commissioners. The proposed new jail came in $11 million over budget, a number too far over to impact with changes to the facility.
