May 20, 2016
Comal County construction to begin on $76M jail
NEW BRAUNFELS - Comal County officials will soon begin construction on a new $76 million county jail. The 155,000-sf facility will house approximately 600 inmates and include a 16-bed infirmary, a booking...
NEW BRAUNFELS – Comal County officials will soon begin construction on a new $76 million county jail.
The 155,000-sf facility will house approximately 600 inmates and include a 16-bed infirmary, a booking area with temporary holding cells, support areas, a detention administration area and visitation spaces for attorneys and families.
The project is also slated to include an approximately 68,000-sf renovation of the existing jail into office and operational space for the Comal County Sheriff’s Office.
Comal County voters earlier this year approved a $76 million bond to support construction the renovation and new construction project.
The existing jail was built in 1985, and then had a capacity of just 144. It was expanded to its current size in 1999, and now has a capacity of 337.
The county has also grappled with a population boom since 2000. The jail’s current daily average population is 320, and the increase in inmate traffic has had an adverse affect on the building.
As the jail has aged, maintenance and repairs have become increasingly costly, now averaging more than $200,000 annually.
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