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Progress continues on a project to build a new Saline County Jail and sheriff’s office facility.

According to Saline County, in June, manufactured precast cells were trucked to Salina, and set in place on foundations in the housing areas. Concrete block walls are going up along with structural steel. Recently, crews have begun to set precast concrete walls that will form the exterior of the office spaces and public lobby area. This work will be continuing for several weeks.

Underground, water and sewer tie-ins have been made and additional sanitary sewer and storm water conveyances are being installed.

Planning is also underway for the transition from the current jail to the new facility. Although the move is still 13+ months away, a transition team has been assembled to begin thinking about how the layout of the new building as well as its size and advanced level of technology will impact daily procedures.

The new jail project was approved by voters. A one-half percent sales tax to help pay for the new building was enacted on April 1st, 2021.

The special half-cent sales tax that is funding the jail construction bond payments continues to come in strong, based on continuing growth of taxable sales throughout the community. The County made the first interest payment on last summer’s bond issue in February, but funds are already available for the first principal payment that is due in August. While it is still early in the payment process, a very conservative estimate projects that the bonds will be paid off up to seven years early.

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