What You Get for $175 Million: New Jail/Justice Center Groundbreaking

By Gloria Way

Chambers County officials finally broke ground on the extremely controversial jail/justice center on Tuesday, August 6th. Close to 100 people attended the ceremony which was spearheaded by County Judge Jimmy Sylvia. The jail/justice center is being financed by a “P3” which is a private public partnership to the tune of $175Million. Judge Sylvia told the attendees that the P3 was the only way to finance the project without raising taxes. Sylvia also stated that it will take 31 months to complete the project. Unfortunately, Sheriff Brian Hawthorne was not able to attend the ceremony. He has been advocating for a new jail for over 10 years. The new jail will hold 336 beds compared to the current jail that houses 160 beds. The new jail will be completed first so the current inmates won’t have to be housed elsewhere for any length of time.