New Jail Location Possibilities II
Today the Douglas County Sentinel will report that the proposed new jail, which will be attached the latest version of SPLOST, is going to be located near the Douglas County Courthouse. Losing Georgia published an article last October about possible new jail locations based on official documents and property records, and now this article is being extended to allow residents exactly see the possible locations in Google Maps using vectors.
Although the County has not officially announced the location of the jail, the area of concern can be determined in a defined area adjacent to the County Courthouse. Based on the needs for 15 acres, large capacity sewer lines and cutting transportation costs, and comparing the data to property records and the Duralee Lane Extension Project, it can be assumed that the new jail will possibly be built in one of two large tracts of land.
The largest tract is owned by Wayne C. Ricket located on South Cherokee Boulevard, the location of the Flagview Mobile Home Park, and is 36.59 acres. The feasibility of relocating residents who live in the mobile homes will likely be an issue.
An adjacent tract is 16 acres and owned by the W.T. Thornton Family. This particular plot is in an undeveloped area with Slater Mill Creek flowing near the south edge of the property line. Behind that tract is another large piece of land owned by the County, approximately 30 acres, serving as the senior citizens center. Whenever the Duralee Lane Extension occurs, a bridge or large concrete culvert will probably be installed to limit disruption of Slater Mill Creek.
On the last SPLOST referendum that voters disagreed with at the polls, the new jail was projected to cost taxpayers $87,262,200, however the latest figure projects that the cost will be a minimum of $130 million – approximately a difference of $43 million. The $130 million is actually in the form of a bond, broken down into $120 million for construction and $10 million for land, with SPLOST acting as a backup repository for funds.
The percentage that will be used from SPLOST for the new jail has not been disclosed to the public and will be half of the total. Residents will once again traverse to the polls on September 18 in order to vote for or against the latest rendition of SPLOST. The new jail is supposed to have 1,400 beds, 100 less than the Sheriff’s Department projection that was apart of the County’s Identification of Needs presentation.
To look at a few documents about the new jail, check them out in the Document Explorer. Property records are public knowledge and can be accessed online.
