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Jail plans back to square one; Three commissioners rescind vote on project
After first wanting to build a jail downtown, then looking at building a justice center on Government Drive, then agreeing to build a stand-alone jail on the site, and then, again, looking at building a jail downtown, Burke County commissioners are back to square one.And they spent $600,000 of taxpayer money to do nothing but make that circle.This week, commissioners voted 3-2, with Vice Chairman Jeff Brittain and Johnnie Carswell opposing, to rescind the agreement the board voted on in November to build a 256-bed stand-alone jail on Government Drive. After the vote, Carswell made a motion to proceed with building a jail on Government Drive and approve architectural schematic plans as presented. The motion failed 2-3, with Commissioner Chairman Wayne Abele and Commissioners Maynard Taylor and Jack Carroll opposing.It appears that Abele, Taylor and Carroll are leaning toward trying to buy out Catawba County’s portion of Burke-Catawba District Confinement Facility. Commissioners toured the facility on May 12.Burke County has not yet talked to Catawba County officials about what it would take to buy the other half and it’s unclear, at this point, if Catawba would share any of the cost of needed repairs. It would cost around $2.3 million to make needed repairs to the facility, according to jail administrators.In 1996, Burke and Catawba counties entered into an agreement to share the jail after Catawba bought half of the facility. The two counties operate the 176-bed district jail, with each having 88 beds for its inmates.The most glaring problem with Burke-Catawba jail can’t easily be fixed by dumping money into the facility.The jail is overcrowded.The recent tour commissioners took of the facility saw numerous inmates sleeping on mattresses on the floor. After the Tuesday meeting, Abele said some of the inmates were moved out of cells so those taking the tour could go inside the cells.Abele wondered if the inmates were sleeping on the floor because it was cooler, even though the inmates were covering themselves with blankets. The cells are air-conditioned but the hallways, where guards conduct regular patrols of the cells, are not.The jail also needs new cell locks, a new control panel and could use another bay in its sallyport where officers bring in prisoners. But officials say there's not really room to expand the current sallyport.Whether Catawba will sell its part of the facility and whether the price it wants will be satisfactory to Burke commissioners remains to be seen.
Full Story at morganton.com
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