Jail expansion set to break ground next month

As the day for expanding the county’s overcrowded jail nears, county leaders are preparing for the final price tag. 

Jail expansion leaders Tuesday morning briefed Minnehaha County Commissioners on the estimated final construction costs: $48.3 million, about $2 million more than originally planned. 

Construction for the project, approved in late 2016, is slated to begin Aug. 14. Utility work is scheduled to start Aug. 7. Most details are in place, but there are still a few final touches to work out that could affect pricing, such as security equipment and the brand of toilets that will be used in the cells. 

The expansion will add 320 beds to the current 400-bed facility. An additional floor being built on top of the existing jail will move the 100 or so inmates housed at the county corrections center, a former Elks Club, into the jail around May 2019. Lincoln County will also be allowed to house up to 45 inmates, and will reimburse Minnehaha County for each bed and cover medical costs for inmates. Read more on the Argus Leader’s website.