Outside new county jail… Photo by Barry West
The Jail Review Committee has developed a timeline for opening the new state-of-the-art facility on Hillsboro Highway. The tentative date where officials will be moving inmates to the new location is scheduled for May 4th. Committee Chairman Tim Morris said last week that an open house and Boy Scout sleepovers will take place the weekend of April 25th to ensure that everything is working properly in the facility. Boy Scout sleepovers are common in new jails.
Coffee County Sheriff Steve Graves said that officer training would take roughly six weeks and sees no problem in having everything up and running smoothly by the time Bonnaroo rolls around in June.
However, there have been some lingering hiccups. Maintenance Director Robert Gilliam has expressed concern that the new facility’s electric bills have been running between $9,000 and $12,000 per month, depending on whether crews are in the building working. He has suggested replacing fluorescent lighting with high-efficiency bulbs to help shave down that monthly expense. (LightTUBe)
