PEORIA, Ill. – Peoria County’s Sheriff says a big decision must be made on the future of the county jail.
The Peoria County Jail was built in 1983, with an addition built in 1997. Sheriff Chris Watkins tells WMBD’s “The Phil Luciano Show” that the jail is starting to show its age.
“Last few years, we’ve been talking to the board. We’ve been seeing maintenance has not been done well on the jail in the last 10-15 years. So we’re really starting to see it deteriorate, even both sides, the ‘83 and ‘97 addition,” Watkins said.
Watkins says the needs of the jail have also changed since it was built more than 40 years ago. He says the jail is housing more people with mental health issues. And the current population averages around 300 inmates, well below the capacity of about 500 beds.
The sheriff says the lack of renovations and updates also leads to safety concerns for both inmates and workers at the jail.
Watkins says five options have been considered. Three of those options include renovations, with a price tag between $20-34 million. Another option would tear down and rebuild the portion built in 1983, and leave the 1997 addition up, at a cost of around $100 million. The final option would be the construction of a new jail facility, with an estimated cost of $220 million.
Watkins says whatever option is picked needs to be fiscal responsible.
“Raising people’s taxes is not a very popular idea, as much as we already pay on taxes right now,” Watkins said. “We got to make sure we can pay for something.”
Watkins says he does not want to “put a band-aid” on the issue either, saying there should be a long-term plan in place to build a new county jail, whether that’s now or 10-15 years down the line.
Watkins says the conversations will take place over the next few months on the infrastructure and public safety committees, along with the full county board.
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