Residents are getting a first look at the plans for the county’s new jail and proposed Government Building

Residents are getting a first look at the plans for the county’s new jail and proposed Government Building.

Last week, Coryell County Commissioners approved moving forward with the issuance of Certificates of Obligation to cover the costs of construction of a new detention facility that will ease the county’s overcrowded jail challenges.

As presented by Jeff Heffelfinger, Southwest Architects, the proposed nearly 80,000-square-foot jail facility will provide a 250-bed detention facility on a 33.37-acre plat the county owns on FM 929. The large acreage allows room for the jail to grow, as well as have room to eventually construct a new Sheriff’s Office on-site.

The cost for the jail is approximately $30 million and includes the detention area, a Sallyport and a visitation area along with limited office space from which the Sheriff and chief deputy can work.

Cost concerns kept the expanded office space to move the entirety of Coryell County Sheriff’s Office functions and a training area out of the approved plans for initial construction.

The estimated cost for the jail with the office space, 250-beds and training areas came in around $36 million for construction alone, and more that $40 million with fees and site-prep work

Losing the office and training space but getting the desperately needed beds was a compromise Coryell County Sheriff Scott Williams accepted and understood.

“The greater need outweighed the wants,” Williams said in October.  “We need the beds. I am happy we got the jail and the beds.”

Having bed space for the county’s inmates was vital, the sheriff said, especially to keep the county in compliance with state jail standards.

Heffelfinger noted that the county could help finance the additional construction of the Sheriff’s Office by selling off some of the county-owned properties downtown, especially those that could be emptied by a new government building.

As presented by Heffelfinger, current design plans for the proposed Government Building provide for a split-level three-story building comprised of a basement and two finished stories with office space for most county functions.

Inside the government building, plans include offices for Emergency Management, Department of Public Safety, two courtrooms, Justices of the Peace for Precinct 3 and 4, the county attorney, County Court at Law and Commissioners’ Court, county judge, county commissioners, district attorney, tax office, county court, county auditor, juvenile probation and central cashier.

The government building site plans also include a half-acre sized parking lot.

There are two promising locations options for the Government Building, both of which are downtown, located just off Gatesville’s Courthouse Square.

Heffelfinger presented two plans for the government building one without finishing out the top floor and one with that top story finished.

With finishing out and furnishing the third level, the building is estimated to cost a little over $15 million. With that level complete, the estimated cost is $17.6 million.

Commissioners voted and agreed last week to take the option of constructing the Government Building to the voters in a bond election in May.