The Grayson County Detention Center (GCDC) expansion placed on hold in November 2018 by Jailer Jason Woosley is now back on track.
In November, Woosley said all the construction bids well-exceeded the expected cost of the expansion, with the least expensive bid about $5 million more than the anticipated $14 million cost of the project. DLZ Corporation, the project’s architecture firm, said in May 2018 the “probable hard construction cost estimate (is) between $12.3 and $13.3 million.”
Woosley told Grayson County Fiscal Court at the November meeting that he’s putting the project “on hold until we decide something, and I’m not in a hurry,” to push to the project forward.
Originally, the expansion called for 43,674 square feet of space to be added to the current facility, but Woosley eliminated about 10,000 square feet from the plans. DLZ Corporation now projects the cost of the addition to be approximately $12.1 million.
Woosley said he eliminated “some office and storage space” and one of the most expensive facets of the expansion, a kitchen. He said the current kitchen is large enough to serve the nearly 200 additional inmates, but that more appliances will likely have to be purchased.
Woosley also eliminated a pre-engineered metal building, classroom and recreation yard from the expansion plans.
The jailer did note that only 10 of the over 200 new beds were cut from the new expansion plans, which will still allow the female jail population to be moved to the detention center’s main campus on Shaw Station Road. After the expansion is complete, the number of beds at the GCDC will be well over 700.
Woosley said he will present the amended expansion plan to Grayson Count Fiscal Court once the new design has been finalized, which should be in the near future.
The Grayson County Detention Center is the only financially self-sufficient jail in Kentucky, and no tax dollars will be used in the construction of the addition.
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com or 270-259-6000
