Expansion was considered

Twenty-five years ago this week, local officials were considering a jail expansion.

The Feb. 24, 1998, edition of The Commercial Review featured a story about Jay County Commissioners taking a cautious approach regarding a proposal for a between $340,000 and $400,000 expansion of Jay County Jail.

Commissioners Milo Miller Jr., Mike Leonhard and Gary Theurer reviewed schematic drawings presented by representatives from Schenkel Shultz Architecture but adopted a wait-and-see approach. The proposal included 2,792 additional square feet on two levels east of the existing jail facility.

“I don’t know whether I want to go with this until we see what sheriff is elected (in November),” said Theurer. (Sheriff Kip Robinette was in the midst of the final year of his second term and was not eligible to seek re-election.)

Miller also expressed caution.

“The only thing I can say is we’ll take it under advisement,” he said.

Robinette for months had been pushing for an expansion, saying a space crunch was created when equipment and personnel for the county 911 staff were moved to the jail, which opened in 1984. As a result, office space was limited.

The proposed expansion had office space for the sheriff, chief deputy and investigator on the first floor along with general office space, a reception area and an interview room. The lower level also called for a large squad room and various storage areas.

There were also plans for an elevator, though that portion was considered for elimination in order to save $60,000.

The sketches presented to commissioners were a second version after Robinette and Todd Penrod, a candidate for sheriff, rejected the first set submitted by Schenkel Shultz because they did not provide enough room.

“We tried to look at the lowest-cost option … and we decided there wasn’t any way,” Robinette said. “This allows us to have space for future growth.”