BIGGER JAIL: COUNTY TO BEGIN WORK ON ADDITION

JACKSON -- After two years of planning, Cape Girardeau County will break ground on an $8 million addition to the county jail.

The ceremony is set for 11 a.m. Wednesday at 216 N. Missouri in Jackson.

"We'll have dignitaries, the architect, the general contractor and lots of guests," said Max Stovall, county associate commissioner.

Excavation is scheduled to begin on the addition soon after the ceremony.

The completed building will be called the Cape Girardeau County Justice Center. It will include the jail and a 120-bed expansion.

When completed, the building will be about three times as large and face Missouri Street. The jail will have the capacity to house up to 200 prisoners. It currently houses 80, and the daily jail population is about 100.

Cape Girardeau County spends about $200,000 each year to board prisoners at jails in other counties.

The County Commission and sheriff's office are anxious for the addition to be completed, Stovall said.

Eventually, the expanded jail is expected to produce revenue for the county. The U.S. Marshal's Service has promised to house federal prisoners at the jail and will pay a housing fee. In addition, the county wrote and received a $1.5 million construction grant from the Marshal's Service.

The remainder of construction costs are being financed by the county without a tax increase.

In November, the county sold $6.9 million in bonds to begin construction of the jail addition. Financing was available because the county has more than $5 million in reserve accounts.

"It has taken over two years to get this planned," Stovall said. "But it will be a state-of-the-art building and should continue to serve the county for years to come."

The plan includes room for future expansion. If needed, a third story could be added to the two-story building. The footings and other supports are included in the design, making another expansion possible, Stovall said.