Part of old county jail to be torn down

BENTONVILLE — Benton County plans to tear down a portion of the old downtown county jail this summer, County Judge Barry Moehring said.

Moehring met with six circuit judges Wednesday to inform them of plans to demolish a one-story portion of the old jail behind the courthouse that includes a sally port, a secure small entrance and exit point.

Moehring hoped to begin demolition next month to lessen the impact and distraction it will have on the courts, but he pushed the project back to late summer. The demolition hinges on whether a proposed sales tax increase passes to build a new $30 million courts building on Second Street.

The Quorum Court last month approved the second

reading to set a March election on a temporary, oneeighth-cent sales tax to pay for the courts building. The third and final reading will be held in December.

Moehring said it’s better to wait until summer and demolish the old jail site and two buildings on the Second Street site at the same time. The demolition will take up to 45 days. Bryan Beeson, county facilities administrator, said demolition work won’t occur every day.

Beeson said they plan to use the demolished jail site as a staging area for material while the new courthouse is built.

Benton County Circuit Judge John Scott said he already has a full calendar for next August. Moehring assured the judges they will be informed on the schedule for the demolition and construction work.

Scott and Circuit Judges Robin Green and Xollie Duncan are the three judges most impacted by the demolition because their courtrooms are in the Benton County Courthouse. Circuit Judge Brad Karren’s courtroom is in the annex on Second Street while Schrantz’s courtroom is on Main Street. Circuit Judge Tom Smith’s courtroom is in the Benton County Juvenile Judicial Center on Melissa Street.

Beeson said they hope to limit the impact on the judges.

“It’s going to be a noise maker, and they are going to have to find a way to control it,” said Schrantz, who serves as the administrative judge in Benton County.

Plans call for the old jail site to become a parking lot with the completion of a new courthouse.

The Coroner’s Office is housed in space at the old jail set to be demolished. The office will remain downtown until at least February or March. There’s no need to move the office into a temporary space since the demolition work isn’t happening next month, Coroner Daniel Oxford said.

Oxford said they have already started packing items and records not used on a daily basis.

An office for the coroner is being built at the Road Department on Melissa Drive. Oxford said construction is expected to be completed by the last week of February, and he expects the move to be completed by the middle of March.

The new location offers more space, he said.

“We will have space to sit down with families instead of standing in our office.”

Moehring said it’s better to wait until summer and demolish the old jail site and two buildings on the Second Street site at the same time.