Commissioners to visit Clay County Jail (02/25/08)

Jay County Commissioners and several members of the Jay County Council will travel to Brazil, Ind., next week to tour the recently constructed Clay County Jail as local jail expansion planning continues.

The tour, arranged by Jeff Badders of Schenkel Schultz, the Fort Wayne firm that has been hired to develop schematic drawings of an expansion of the Jay County Jail, is set for Monday, March 3.

Schenkel Schultz designed the Clay County Jail.

The Jay County contingent will depart for Brazil at 10 a.m.

Drainage plans for a 12,800-square-foot addition to Joyce-Dayton Corp.'s plant in Portland were unanimously approved this morning by the commissioners acting in their role as the Jay County Drainage Board.

"They meet all the requirements," county surveyor Brad Daniels said.

A swale behind the addition will route surface water toward existing drains east of the plant, which is located at the corner of U.S. 27 and county road 100 North.

Daniels said the addition will have no negative impact on adjoining properties.

The board also gave approval to revised drainage plans for Redkey Faith Ministries, which is building a church along Ind. 67 on the west edge of Redkey. Earlier plans had already been approved, but the proposed location of the church building on the acreage has changed.

A portion of the church parking lot will be on a county easement related to an adjacent ditch, but Daniels said he did not believe that will pose any problems when it comes to ditch maintenance.

Bettie Jacobs of the Jay County Soil and Water Conservation District reminded the Jay County Commissioners, who also act as the drainage board, of Wednesday's annual dinner meeting at 6 p.m. in the Community Building at the Jay County Fairgrounds.

In other business, the commissioners:

•Appointed Jane Spencer as an alternate member of the Jay County Cemetery Commission.

•Met briefly with Delaware County Commissioner John Brooke, who presented them with a copy of the annual report on the Delaware County Jail. Brooke said Delaware County now spends about $500,000 per year housing prisoners as far away as Switzerland County because its jail doesn't have sufficient space. Jay County Commissioners have indicated that an expanded Jay jail could help pay for itself by housing prisoners from adjoining counties.[[In-content Ad]]