Video: Lee County Supervisors Get Recommendation For New Jail Site

TUPELO, MISS. (WCBI) – During a brief presentation to the Lee County Board of Supervisors, Sheriff Jim Johnson said the site of the current jail at 510 N Commerce Street was the unanimous choice for many reasons.

“The logistics of it, location of it, the price of it, expansion of it later,” Sheriff Johnson said.

The current 200 bed jail would be demolished and the new , 400 to 500 bed facility would be built in several stages.  The layout is similar to the Hancock County Public Safety Complex, in Bay Saint Louis, which was recently visited by the site selection committee. Additional acreage at the North Commerce site is owned by the Community Development Foundation, and is available.

Also, the new facility would include Justice Court, along with administrative offices. And using the North Commerce Street location means officials wouldn’t have to worry about what to do with a vacant correctional facility.

“If you did decide, to tear down the facility we are currently in, and built one that would meet the needs , 25, 30, 40 years down the road, we showed this morning, that site could be chosen and you could tear down the old site and build it there, I’m not going to say that’s what they’re going to do,” Johnson said.

Supervisors took no action after the sheriff’s presentation. Supervisor Billy Joe Holland made a motion to start with construction plans, but his motion failed. Board President Phil Morgan says there are a few details that need to be ironed out and then there’s the matter of cost, and if the issue will go before voters, or will supervisors ok the project without a referendum.

“We’re not mandated to put it before the voters, I’ve stressed that, that’s going to depend on the price tag, we don’t have any idea, the one we looked in on at Hancock was about a 30 million dollar project, but they had purchased 52 acres of land,” Morgan said.

Next, supervisors will decide on the site recommendation. An architect would be hired to draw up plans for the facility, supervisors, and taxpayers would then have a better idea of the cost.

Tupelo Councilman Buddy Palmer was at the meeting and he is pleased the new jail would remain in the city limits. The Lee County Jail houses inmates for Tupelo and surrounding municipalities.