There are still some very vital questions to be answered by the Grundy County Law Enforcement Committee as plans are developed for a new law enforcement facility.
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There are still some very vital questions to be answered by the Grundy County Law Enforcement Committee as plans are developed for a new law enforcement facility.
The committee met Tuesday night with Ken West, an architect with ArchitectsWest, discussing possible scenarios for a new jail and law enforcement center. Two major questions to be answered before the project can really move forward are whether or not it will be a city/county facility or county-only and whether the facility will be constructed on courthouse property or on another parcel of land.
In discussing which entities should be involved in the facility, Grundy County Sheriff Greg Coon said he feels that a decision needs to be made now, with the committee sticking to it once a decision is made. The committee had been discussing the idea of making the facility a county-only center,with the idea that it could be smaller and would cost less money. Gary Hurst, a Trenton city councilman, said he feels the committee should build the facility the way they need it constructed, not cutting it down just to get it approved by voters more quickly. Hurst emphasized that combining the city and county law enforcement offices, the jail and the 911 dispatching center would be more efficient and more economical. He pointed out that the idea of combining the offices had been discussed when the Public Safety Complex was constructed in 1984.
If the facilities were combined, the city police department would handle city law enforcement issues, dispatching and the 911 system, while the sheriff?s department would manage the jail as well as its own law enforcement matters. It was noted that many items could be combined for use by both entities, but that some degree of separation would be needed. Some rooms, such as the evidence rooms, would need to be separated.
In discussing the size of the proposed facility, which would have cells for 32 prisoners plus a holding cell and segregation cell, West commented that ?whatever you build, you?ll fill.?
While the consensus of those at the meeting seemed to be that both the city police and county sheriff offices should be located in the building, no vote was taken of committee members during the meeting.
Also at issue is whether the building could be constructed on the courthouse property or if it would have to be constructed on a separate site. West, who presented a video on prefabricated steel cells, said he is proposing a structure with a pre-engineered steel frame, which could be overlayed with other materials such as brick or some type of stone. While the goal is not to match the courthouse, committee members said they would hope it could blend in with the coloring of the courthouse if it is located on the courthouse property.
There are several advantages to locating the facility on the courthouse property, including security in transporting inmates to court and not having the additional cost of purchasing land. Phil Daniels, a member of the committee, said employees of the courthouse should be asked if they would feel threatened by having the inmates located adjacent to the courthouse.
West will develop plans for the facility on both proposed sites, but it was noted that if the facility is a county/city one, there would probably not be room to locate it on the courthouse property.
The date of the next meeting was not set, but West said he would hopefully have plans ready by the end of next week.