Putnam Jail Expansion Some Two Months Behind Schedule

The Putnam County Jail expansion project is running some two months behind due to significant delays in equipment arrival.

Putnam County Sheriff Eddie Farris told County Commissioners Monday night he had hoped the facility would have been completed the first week of May, with a June move-in date. Farris said Bell Construction’s request for a 57-day extension is purely based on difficulty acquiring materials.

“Everything’s all good,” Farris said. “It’s a great building. It’s very impressive. It’s beautiful on the outside. The inside’s even more impressive with the technology we have in the building. Very proud of how the thing is coming together.”

Farris said supplies that have been ordered for some 18 months are still slowly arriving. He said once the building is complete, the department’s IT staff has work to do in the building before it is ready to get up and running. Farris said the building will not be occupied until the end of July or early August.

He said those interested in touring the new facility as it is finished up can reach out to the Sheriff’s Office and schedule an hour-long tour.

“As we get closer, those tours will increase and at some point, we’ll have open house for a day or two,” Farris said.

In other business, the board approved a banking bid from First Freedom Bank. Putnam County Mayor Randy Porter said the county bids out banking every six years. He said First Freedom was the bank already serving the county, and it offered the highest interest and the lowest fees of any bidder. He said the county will continue to write checks and receive interest on reserve funds through First Freedom Bank.

The board also voted to change the speed limit on Maddle Road to 25 miles per hour. The change will impact a .35-mile stretch. The Planning Committee voted to transfer a 2018 Chevrolet Silverado from the Solid Waste Department to the Parks and Recreation Department.