Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

JPs Discuss New Jail Construction

Discussion concerning new construction of jail facilities took up the majority of time at the Clark County Quorum Court meeting last week.

The new building will provide and open to use for women detainees 20 beds, according to Clark County Sheriff Troy Tucker. The facilities are still in the planning stages. Blue prints, cost estimates, additions and deletions are being worked on with an architect.

By the next court meeting there should be several plans to look at. The court choose new construction over renovation for the current building after estimates showed a small margin of difference between the two.

Specific changes to be made and needs were commented on by the sheriff. Notable were improved separation between public areas and detainee areas in the lobby space, and the kitchen and a large dormitory style room for the 309 prisoners who may be working in the kitchen.

There will also be a second story to the building, but it may have to be implemented in stages. The idea was also mentioned of providing the prisoners with the required outside exercise area on the roof out of site of the street.

Many other needs and considerations were commented on, but even with all of these possible improvements the county still will not have the resources required to house juveniles, according to Sheriff Tucker.

JP John Howard, member of the consulted construction committee, brought out the subject of a new laundry room.

County Judge Floyd Manning reminded the court all improvements must be approved by the Arkansas State Jail Standards Board.

In other matters Sheriff Tucker informed the court of the current situation following a child in the Okolona township, who was mauled by an unspecified number of dogs. The toddler-aged child was in stable condition at Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock.

The sheriff reaffirmed he had no intention of implementing a leash law of any kind. Tucker did ask the court if there were any way to put a nuisance ordinance in place. This would allow the sheriff's office some authority with pet owners who had repeated documented complaints on pets. The complainants would be required to provide documented complaints.

The sheriff clarified the statement by assuring the need was for those with pets which were considered threatening or destructive nuisances, or for pet owners who refused to remedy problems.

Judge Manning referred the subject to the ordinance committee.

More money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency continues to come in according to Manning. "I'm pleased with the results so far," he said, but he added, "It's coming in slow."

The county will began spraying the roadsides with a chemical to prevent weeds and grasses. "We have a licensed professional who will be using the same chemical used by the Arkansas State Highway Department," Manning told the Jps. The need to do this is practical, he said, with so few brush cutters with high maintenance costs and so few operators, this is the next choice. The judge reassured court members the surface of the roadside the chemical would be used on would not exceed more than five feet from the road.

JP Larry Thomerson voiced concern about the safety assurance. "The sprayer operator will not spray where a lawn meets the road," Manning said. "This is primarily for the dense wooded areas."

More discussion will follow with the judge promising the EPA information on the chemical and its name by next meeting time.

The equipment committee accepted a bid costing $73,787 on one trash/route truck. The funds were moved from the county general funds to the sanitation department.