Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Sheriff, QC talk jail problem at meeting

Clark County still needs a new jail, but Sheriff David Turner wants to "back off and get a fresh look" at the process of building a new facility.

The county Quorum Court is expected to consider Monday a recommendation from the jail construction committee to halt all plans for the time being. If approved, it will be up to the sheriff and county Judge Ron Daniell to re-start the process. "It will be up for discussion Monday," Turner said.

Turner, chairman of the committee, told members that a Memphis-based jail construction firm would cost the county more money than the amount agreed upon by the court.

SouthBuild was originally scheduled to perform a cost-study analysis, but instead asked the county to enter into a two-year contract. Also, the land chosen as the site of the new jail was found to be too small for the project.

"Common sense will tell you that we need to back off," Turner said.

Turner said he is opposed to a previously-created plan to simply expand the current jail facility because of the cost restraints. "Adding onto the old facility takes too much to get the old part up to code," he said. "It costs more in the long run to expand (the jail) than it would to build new."

He said he also opposes the expansion because the current jail is landlocked. "If we expand there, we'll only have four parking spaces, two handicapped and two regular. We already have parking problems on court days."

Turner said that the need for more jail space still exists. "We still have 451 misdemeanor warrants to serve. We're still in the same boat."

To help free up bed space, Turner said he has transferred inmates already sentenced to state prison to another facility. "I sent the state inmates to Dallas County." That way, the state prison system will simply pay Dallas County to keep the inmates. "We'll have to pay about a week on them," before the state starts picking up the bill. The Dallas County sheriff has agreed to give Clark County a discount for those first few days, Turner said.

The county spent $127,599 in housing inmates in other counties last year, Turner told the court in February. Deputies traveled 21,265 miles last year transporting prisoners to other jails, expending 639 man hours. The department's vehicles used 1,181 gallons of fuel at a cost of more than $2,300.

The transfer of those inmates has freed up space for about nine more in the jail, Turner said. He wasn't sure how many of those beds were taken after Wednesday's session of District Court.

In the meantime, Turner said he is still diligently searching for a site for a new jail. "It's hard to find a site," he said, because the site must be level with access to adequate water and sewer services. "We asking everyone to help us find a site."

Turner said he also wants to do a more thorough analysis of the operating costs of a new facility. "That's what many people want to know - how much is it going to cost to operate?"

Once those costs are better determined, Turner has to figure out how to find the money. "I want to have all my ducks in a row" before the matter is revisited.