Ground Breaking Could Happen Next Week For New Jail

The Army Corps of Engineers stopping of the construction of the new Coffee County Jail was released, giving the county the go-ahead to proceed with filing for a USDA rural development bond that should save $2 million. The Army Corps of Engineers issued a letter giving county permission to proceed with plans to build on property on the Hillsboro Blvd. Approximately 6 ¾ acres of the property were deemed as wetlands and must be left undeveloped. County officials were expecting to sign paperwork late this week for financial loans and the contractor told Coffee County Sheriff Steve Graves that they hope to have a ground breaking next week. Bell Construction officials say they are confident that they will be able to start erecting the walls of the new jail in March. Meanwhile, the existing jail remains overcrowded. Yesterday 286 inmates were housed in the county jail that was designed to house 196 inmates.