Construction on justice center to begin soon

WAYNE COUNTY, Tenn. - Work is expected to begin on the county's new criminal justice center later this month.

County officials awarded the contract for preparing the site for the new jail to EnviroWorks Construction Co., of Wayne County, at the cost of $306,513.

"It will probably take about three months to get the site ready for construction," said construction manager Greer Lashlee, of Lashlee-Rick Inc., of Humbolt, Tenn.

He said he hopes the actual construction contract can be awarded by the time the site is ready.

Wayne County Executive Jason Rich said the Nashville-based architectural firm Barge-Waggoner is finalizing the designs for the proposed 45,000-square foot facility.

The new facility will be built on a 30-acre tract that the county purchased in 2007. The site is off U.S. 64 on Andrew Jackson Boulevard.

"It's not going to be the Taj Mahal; it's going to be something that will serve our needs now and into the future," Rich said.

Wayne County Sheriff Ric Wilson said the justice center will have a 130-bed jail, two jury courtrooms and a nonjury courtroom, along with judges chambers.

Rich said the criminal justice center will handle the county's overcrowding problems, both in the jail and in the courthouse.

Wilson said the county's existing jail can only hold 41 inmates, "and we've got 35 here right now, plus 23 more in Perry County and two more in Giles County," Wilson said.

"It'll be nice to have them all under one roof."

The overall project will cost about $9.5 million, county officials said. County commissioners voted in 2007 to borrow $5.5 million for the project.

Rich said the county had already set aside $4 million for renovating and additions to the existing jail.

So far, the price of the land and the site work have been less than anticipated.

He said the actual construction is expected to take 16-18 months.

"Right now, you look at photos and projections, and (the facility) seems like a dream. But once the work gets under way, it'll seem real," Wilson said. "I can't wait."

Tom Smith can be reached at 740-5757 or tom.smith@TimesDaily.com.