Georgia County Government - May/June 2008 - (Page 66)

CountyParade BARTOW County Lays Plans for $30 Million Jail Expansion According to county officials, plans to more than double inmate space at the Bartow County Adult Detention Center will now take the shape of adding a sixstory building, in lieu of the pods originally envisioned. The proposed building would feature three tiers of two-level lockups, which will more easily allow further expansion if needed for the future, compared to the former plan. The expansion of a vehicle maintenance area, including a drive-through bay, had left less space for the jail addition. The new plan makes more sense “from the standpoint of security and the future,” County Administrator Steve Bradley said. The planning stages of the project are slated to be completed by the end of summer, with groundbreaking planned for fall 2008. The facility is planned to house up to 200 maximum-security inmates in the first tier, up to 200 female inmates in the second tier and up to 150 work-release inmates in the third, with updates and additions to improve food service efficiency, corridors, elevators and other areas. The current jail opened in 1992, designed to accommodate 472 inmates. According to Sheriff ’s Office Maj. Gary Dover, numbers have averaged around 600 and have peaked at 672 inmates. The new facility will bed 1,000 inmates, and the county plans to house federally held inmates already adjudicated, under a contract in place with the U.S. Marshals. Pond and Company, an Atlanta architectural and engineering firm, was awarded the contract for the anticipated $30 million expansion, which officials said they hope to undercut. To fund the project, Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) monies are being set aside. DOUGLAS County’s Leg of 98-Mile Trail Project Approved The Douglas County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a 66 GEORGIA COUNTY GOVERNMENT TAYLOR Taylor County Airport Authority Awarded $1,531,000 from AIRGeorgia The Taylor County Airport Authority was awarded $1.53 million from AIRGeorgia at the OneGeorgia Authority Board Meeting held March 7 in Hawkinsville. AIRGeorgia (Airport Initiative in Rural Georgia) was launched by Governor Sonny Perdue in 2006 to help rural airports extend runways and other improvements to accommodate corporate jets to enhance economic development. The funds will be used to extend the runway and other improvements at the Butler Municipal Airport. Pictured (left to right) are, front row: Harold Heath, Airport Authority member; Don Bond, Airport Authority member; Governor Sonny Perdue; Taylor County Chairman Patty James; Johnny Neely, Airport Authority; and Don ten Bensel, Middle Flint Regional Development Center. Second row: Lenda Taunton, county manager; Bussey Hammack, Airport Authority; Cody Rustin, chairman of Airport Authority; Patsy Brunson, director of Economic Development; and Homer Barrow, Airport Authority. 1.3-mile paved trail, a pilot project for a 98-mile nature trail through Douglas and three neighboring counties. The action puts Douglas County two years ahead of the other three counties involved, according to Commissioner Mike Mulcare, an official who has spearheaded the project for the past five years. The Douglas County vote serves as the go-ahead for final contracts to be signed with the Chattahoochee Hill Country and the Georgia Department of Transportation to get the $500,000 in federal funds slated to support the project. These monies are part of a $2 million federal grant to fund the project, being split between Douglas, Fulton, Coweta and Carroll counties. Douglas County will supply $125,000 in matching funds. The Douglas pilot trail will be on land bordering the Chattahoochee River, within Boundary Waters Park. Douglas County already has five miles of trails at the park, developed by the county and ready for use. FORSYTH Original Career Firefighters Celebrate 10 Years of Growth The ‘Dirty Th irty’ was the nickname applied to the 30 original firefighters who, in the spring of 1998, became the fi rst full-time, career fi refighters hired

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Georgia County Government - May 2008

Georgia County Government - May 2008 Contents President’s Message County Matters ACCG 2008 Annual Meeting: Highlights County Focus: Clayton County Negotiating a Professional Service Firm Contract: Part 3 Counties Get Involved in Efforts to End Sexual Abuse of Children Smart Growth Scorecard Gives Communities a Way to Grade New Developments Wireless Technologies Critical for First Responders Research Corner: The ACCG Policy Process RDCs Assist the USS Georgia Flag Project Extension News: Animals Take Spotlight in Disaster Planning Georgia’s Grand Old Courthouses: Grady County NACo News: Green Initiative Launches Searchable Database Insurance News: ACCG Announces New Inmate Medical Savings Program County Parade Index of Advertisers

Georgia County Government - May 2008

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