The Wood County Commissioners, Doris Herringshaw, Craig LaHote, and Ted Bowlus have agreed to move forward with plans to renovate the booking and medical areas of the Wood County Jail, as well as expand housing for female inmates.
The estimated total cost of this project is $18 million.
One year ago the commissioners and Sheriff Mark Wasylyshyn completed the interview process required to select an architect/engineer for this project, with Wachtel & McAnally of Newark, Ohio, being the successful firm. The contract for this work was in the initial stages of review when the pandemic began, and the process along with work related to many other county projects was put on hold.
Earlier this month, Wasylyshyn presented an update to the Commissioners about the current status of the jail. The sheriff stated that while the jail census declined significantly during the first months of the pandemic, the population has rebounded, and he anticipates it will continue to do so.
He further stated that renovation of the booking and medical areas is vitally important as the role of the jail has evolved over time largely due to offender drug use and mental health issues. Additionally, increased jail space is important due to the need to separate prisoners to satisfy court requirements and address behavioral and health related concerns.
The current Wood County Jail opened in 1989, with a maximum capacity of 149 inmates. In 2015, a 60-bed minimum security housing dorm was added along with renovations that resulted in 15 more minimum housing beds and a total jail capacity of 224 inmates.
A key feature of the dorm addition and the upcoming renovation and expansion is direct supervision of inmates by jail staff and clear lines of sight which allow for expansion of the building without the need to increase the amount of staff. It is anticipated that design work will take approximately one year, and construction will commence later in 2022.
