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Chuckperry's picture

Chester County jail woes

Submitted by Chuckperry on Thu, 2008-04-10 23:50.

I'd like to know what people think about the debate over the Chester County jail.

This place is in terrible shape and has been for awhile.

Understaffed and undersized, the jail also has numerous structural problems, not to mention it lacks a sprinkler system that's required by state Fire Marshal's Office.

Sheriff Robby Benson wants a new jail. County Supervisor Carlisle Roddey wants to fix the one the county has.

Although the sheriff and the county supervisor have different ideas about how to solve the problem, they agree that a 1-cent sales tax increase is needed to pay for the project, regardless of what it turns out to be.

That's going to be a tough sell. Despite the terrible conditions of the jail, everyone I talked to this week in who didn't work in law enforcement or county government said voting for a higher tax is out of the question.

However, I said, if you don't do it, the cost will be astronomical to transport and house inmates in other counties.

Simply put, this is situation stinks.

Readers, what do you think about this problem?

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Asbestos is a major problem

Submitted by jayr on Mon, 2008-08-04 11:46.

Asbestos is a major problem for everyone in the area not just the jail. The particles can become airborne so specialty clean up crews are needed. After having the flooring in my mothers home tested we found it had it and are now looking for a minnesota asbestos lawyer since we asked about if the house had been tested in the past and were told it was.

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odumland's picture

Chester County Priorities

Submitted by odumland on Sat, 2008-04-12 17:25.

In my professional opinion, the pro-active and common sense decision is to build a new jail now. I doubt that our public school teachers would agree to teach if their schools were in the same condition as the current jail. The county sheriff's staff should be protected in their high-risk environment with proper staffing and facilities.

I once retrieved a police report at the Sheriff's office and was shocked and somewhat embarrassed by the facility's overall condition. Regardless that this is a jail, it poorly reflects on Chester County.

While examining the cost for a new facility, County Council should also have an environmental assessment performed on the existing jail to determine the presence of any hazards such as asbestos, lead paint, mold, etc. The cost and bad press of an impacted health lawsuit could easily cost as much as the new facility itself. Therefore, a risk assessment should also be conducted.

The recently-acquired $1.4M administration building, which generated a $.7M gain for Omnova (the Seller), was deemed imperative to accommodate County Council's hopeful influx of new growth. Our Sheriff's office and jail will also experience the impacts of such new growth. Notwithstanding, new construction could cost more at a later date.

This conservative Republican certainly does not want to pay more taxes; however, a new and safe jail facility is a necessary evil at this time. It would be more feasible and better accepted if the tax increase was temporary and exclusive to the jail project without political pork on the side.

In summary, a new jail facility intended for long-term functionality should be built now... before time is of the essence later.

Liz Odum
Richburg, SC

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