Edmunds County Tribune -

The Edmunds County Jail has been closed since November 2022 when the Sheriff’s Office was relocated to the Community Room in the Courthouse.

Edmunds County Sheriff Jonathan Waldner has proposed building a law enforcement center, including a jail, dispatch center and Sheriff’s office.

Meetings in county communities are planned to discuss the project.

• November 27 at 7 p.m. in Ipswich High School Auditorium

• November 28 at 7 p.m. in the Roscoe Fire Hall

• November 29 at 6:30 p.m. in the Bowdle City Office Community Room

• December 6 at 7 p.m. in the Wakeside Bar & Grill at Mina

• December 7 at 6:30 p.m. in the Hosmer Fire Hall

During the meetings they plan to discuss the need for the new facility and the cost to the taxpayers. The plans for the new facility will be shown.

A Planning Study was done by HMN Architects, Inc./GA Johnson Construction to develop a plan for the new jail and sheriff’s office and conduct a site evaluation study.

They recommended the county construct a new modern law enforcement center located on the courthouse square, east of the courthouse.

The basement area of the courthouse that housed the jail and sheriff’s office has been abandoned due to “detainee damage and environmental concerns.” Excessive mold was discovered in the basement and portions of the walls have been removed. The study said, “In our opinion it is not economically feasible to rebuild a jail to meet building codes and modern standards in the basement of the courthouse.”

The county hopes to house their own detainees and also receive open bed revenue from surrounding counties. Several letters from area Sheriffs supporting the plan were included in the study.

The proposed facility is a 36-bed jail with a total square facility of 10,800 square feet. The project budget is $7,398,007, which includes the construction contract plus professional fees, contingency and miscellaneous expenses.

Come to one of the meetings with your comments, concerns and questions.