13:13 pm New jail almost ready for prisoners
As new correction officers train for work, Carter County officials continue to prepare the new jail for its opening.
Photo by Brandon Hicks - Carter County Sheriff Chris Mathes
The Carter County Building and Grounds Committee met Monday evening and received an update from Sheriff Chris Mathes regarding the new $26 million facility, which is expected to house its first prisoners this spring.
Chairman L.C. Tester informed the committee that errant balls from adjacent Cat Island Park are causing some damage to the exterior of the jail, near the sally port. Mathes said he has spoken to Elizabethton Parks and Recreation Director Mike Mains about the problem. He said Mains is working to fix the problem, likely by installing a net between the ballfields and the jail.
“There is one pretty good size hole on the sally port side,” Mathes said.
In addition to the hole, there are also a few dents elsewhere on the south side of the building. Mathes said there are also a couple softballs on the roof of the sally port.
If the problem is not fixed soon, Mathes said there will be some water damage to the structure.
Committee members also discussed the removal of the temporary pods. According to an agreement between the city of Elizabethton and Carter County, the pods must be removed 180 days after inmates are moved to the new facility.
Mathes said the county still has no buyers for the pods. So far, the county has contacted county governments and law enforcement agencies around the country regarding the available modular units. The county has also checked with the manufacturer to see if the company would like to buy back the pods. No serious interest has been demonstrated, Mathes said, except for one sheriff’s department which recently asked whether the pods are still for sale.
Tester said the Elizabethton Fire Department has shown interest in one pod, which would be used for storage.
The pods, which were intended to be a temporary fix to overcrowding, house about 100 inmates, Mathes said. He added that over the years, inmates have caused some damage to the pods and they are currently in “rough” shape.
Prior to inmates moving to the new jail, there are still a few items which must be corrected. “We’ve got to fix a few things,” Mathes said.
One thing that must be done is the installation of bunk bed ladders. Mathes said the bunks did not come with ladders, so he is working with a company to manufacture them for the facility’s 302 beds, which would comes out to about 151 ladders.
The sheriff said staff and trustees have moved in furniture, labeled doors and walls and cleaned up the entire building. He said materials left over from construction continue to be picked up, including bolts and rags.
Prior to the opening of the jail, the county must receive a certificate of occupancy, which has not yet been granted from the city. Mathes said that punchlists created by the county, the architect and the general contractor are closer to being completed. The lists feature items which must be fixed before the jail is considered complete and ready to house prisoners.
Last week, Mathes said new employees began training in the jail. In March, they will be training with the Tennessee Corrections Institute. Until then, they will be training with the Carter County Sheriff’s Department administration.
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