New jail to be discussed
Staff reporter
A new jail may be in the county's future.
Dan Hall of B&G Consultants will present information Monday to Marion County Commission regarding a new jail structure.
Sheriff Lee Becker previously had made the suggestion of erecting a new county jail facility that could house inmates from other counties.
Commissioner Dan Holub made the comment Monday of his concern about the working conditions at the county jail.
"I was shocked," Holub said about the current condition of inmates being able to reach through jail cells, and the overall condition of the building.
Becker said the original structure was built in 1932. An addition was built in the 1980s.
"There was supposed to be an elevator included in the new addition," Becker said, for handicapped accessibility, but for some reason it was not.
The brick structure continues to have plumbing problems, leaking windows, and space issues.
Becker reported the inmate population averages 10 on weekdays and 14 on weekends.
He has tried to reduce costs by feeding inmates sandwiches at noon. Meal prices from Marion Manor are $3.25 per meal, which is a reduction from previous meals from St. Luke Hospital for $5.25 per meal.
Becker has compiled information for the construction of a larger facility and will present it at Monday's meeting.
Chase County has its own kitchen and personnel, Becker said, to provide meals for the inmates.
"Basically, they house Chase County inmates for free," Becker said, because the fees collected for out-of-county inmates cover those costs.
Adequate storage and additional room for personnel also are problems in the existing building.
The topic will be discussed at 11 a.m. Monday by the commission.
