BUILDINGS
feel our plan will meet the expectations and needs of our citizens for the next decade.” It calls for no tax increase.
A projected timeline places completion of all moves by the end of 2016, with the court-related moves during 2015-16. Viewed as high priority, jail expansion would be complete by the end of 2014 and the Emergency Management and Facilities Management projects done by the end of this year.
Supervisor Bill Russell of Walls points to the running of two jails by the county since the opening last fall of the new $16 million, 270-bed lockup just south of Hernando. He said an estimated $950,000 can be shaved from jail staff costs over two years if all the inmates could be shifted into one jail.
The capacity of the old jail in downtown Hernando is 395 — 345 males and 50 females, and the new jail is 270 — 200 male and 70 female,” said Russell. “The plan is to purchase an existing building and move the sheriff’s administrative officers to the new jail campus, and build a 230-bed expansion there to bring the new-jail total to 500 inmate beds.” The latter is the overhaul’s largest single project, estimated at $9,670,332.
The long-range plan is for the complex occupying 51 acres to house 1,000 beds; the current kitchen and medical facilities at the jail are built for that number.
Among other needs across the county:
The federal Natural Resources Conservation Service, occupying offices in the county-owned USDA Service Center building space at 3260 U.S. 51 south of downtown Hernando, has outgrown its space after 30 years.
The nearby Department of Human Services building, which houses youth and family services, also is crowded. It was built for 20 employees and now has 50. “A lawsuit resulted in DHS staffing by population,” said Russell. “They supply the employees and we must supply buildings.”
The county’s Facilities Management branch, currently headed by Tony Martin, has doubled in size in the past 10 years and is in the way of DHS expansion.
In the County Courthouse, which houses Circuit Court and Chancery Court operations, all the courts are stressed for adequate courtroom space, the judges say. Also, youths in the justice system there are exposed to the public.
Chancery Clerk W.E. “Sluggo” Davis says space “is running out for land records,” and his staff needs to be closer to the Tax Collector’s office to better handle delinquent taxes.
The juvenile detention center in the old jail, built to house 48 people, is always full.
Some buildings, including the Olive Branch library, need roofs; and Emergency Services is split, with offices in the Administration Building in Hernando and operations, storage and response vehicles on Old U.S. 51 in Nesbit.
“It’s inefficient and they’re crowded with Homeland Security equipment,” said Russell of the emergency setup.
To meet these challenges, the facilities plan would:
Move Juvenile Court operations and judge from the courthouse to the old jail and build a new courtroom at a cost of $340,375; move youth services and Juvenile Drug Court from the DHS building to the old jail.
Purchase a new building for all Emergency Services operations, and a new building for Facilities Management.
Move Chancery land records from the courthouse to the old jail, and shift Chancery delinquent tax operations from the courthouse to the vacated Emergency Services office in the Administration Building.
Renovate space in the county- owned DHS building vacated by youth services, Youth Court and Facilities Management for DHS economic assistance services.
Build a courtroom in the vacated Chancery land records space in the courthouse; estimated cost is $432,500.
Move the juvenile detention center to vacated adult space on the west end of the old jail, allowing space for 160 beds plus camera system to be added later.
Use current juvenile detention space for inmate overflow (48 beds).
Replace/repair roofs at the Olive Branch Public Library, the USDA building and the courthouse.
Move the North Delta Planning and Development District operations ( home care assistance and transportation for the elderly) from the Gale Center in Hernando to the renovated USDA building.
Renovate and expand NRCS space at the USDA facility; the staff will move across and down the hall to the space of the Rural Development office that moved more than a year ago to Batesville.
“We’ll have some new neighbors and space to allow offices for our soil technician and the DeSoto Soil and Water Conservation Service’s education and information specialist,” said NRCS conservationist Scott Griffith. “It’ll be nice and more efficient since we’ve added computers over the years.”