News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Putnam County officially cut the ribbon on its jail expansion Thursday afternoon.
Sheriff Eddie Farris thanked residents for the tax dollar investment, the last two sheriffs as well as the current and previous county commissions for making the 119,000 square foot expansion possible.
“As most of you know, operating and managing a jail in Tennessee by the Sheriff is by far the most largest liability each county has,” Farris told the crowd in attendance. “This new state-of-the-art jail facility is one more way we are improving the criminal justice system here in Putnam County. The new jail makes sure that we have adequate space for housing inmates, as well as a safer and more efficient environment for our employees.”
“I’m happy to say on this project, we built this building exactly like we wanted it and came in barely under budget,” County Mayor Randy Porter said. “And that is a great thing in this day and time.”
The total price tag on the facility some $52 million. Farris said it positions the county with enough room to house additional inmates, a factor of the county’s growth. It also keeps the county clear from state regulations designed to protect inmates.
“The new jail will make sure that we have adequate space,” Farris said. “And by funding this project, it will certainly reduce the county’s liability. This facility should last our county for many years to come.”
The facility features an entire wing yet to be built out, but ready to house additional prisoners should that need arise in the coming years. It also features state-of-the-art communications and camera systems.
“If we want to keep a safe community, we have to have this building because we don’t want people that are breaking the law out running around on our streets,” Porter said. “They’ve got to pay their dues if they break the law. We’ve got great law enforcement, but you got to have some place to house them.”
Inmates will move into the new wing in the coming week. Mostly male inmates will be housed in the expanded wing, while the growing female population will be served in the original justice center facility. The US Marshal’s office will also partner with the county for the first time to house federal inmates, creating a new revenue stream for the county.
Dignitaries including county officials, Cookeville Mayor Laurin Wheaton and City Manager James Mills, Algood City Administrator Keith Morrison, Cookeville Police Chief Randy Evans, and local judges participated in the ribbon cutting. The facility will be open for tours Thursday and Friday, before being secured.
