(Reader’s tip: You can hit refresh multiple times for more jail photos. There are four different ones at the moment.)
Cowley County’s new jail should be fully operational and ready to house inmates by March 16 or 17, County Manager Leroy Alsup said this morning. Training for staff began Sunday.
“We’re training everyone on how things will operate in the new facility,” Alsup said. “Then we’ll bring in those from outside agencies, the Winfield police department, Ark City police department and the state and bring them up to speed on how the new jail will operate.”
Staff at the Cowley County Sheriff’s office have already begun packing up some office items in anticipation of the move to new offices in the jail building. Office staff could move as soon as March 12.
The county has tentatively scheduled a walk through with commissioners for March 11. If the tour goes off without a hitch, commissioners would sign a certificate of substantial completion which would clear the way for the building to be occupied.
A schedule of public tour dates is being developed. The county expects to offer tours to anyone who wants one during a weekend between now and the scheduled opening.
Once the new jail is occupied, crews will begin tearing down the existing jail so that phase two of construction can be completed. Extra bed space provided by phase two is expected to be filled through contracts with other counties needing space for inmates.
Sheriff Bob Odell said the county’s 20-person jail staff is working 12-hour shifts in order to continue the day-to-day operation of the jail while training to operate the new jail.
“We have a whole new list of rules and procedures for the new jail, so there is a lot learn,” Odell said. “They’ll be doing this (training) for about three weeks.”
When all the dates for moving to the jail are finalized, a complete schedule for tours will be released.
