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Sheriff Grover Smith and the Escambia County Commission spent a good bit of time discussing, once again, what to do about overcrowding at the Escambia County Detention Center at its meeting last week.
Plans are in the works to remodel the facility to make it safer for officers and inmates and provide the much-needed housing space.
The ECDC is overcrowded at the present time.
The jail was built in 1992 to house 126 inmates.
It currently houses more than 300.
Smith and the commission discussed options for extending the jail and possibly creating a new parking lot across from the jail with proper pedestrian crosswalks.
It is still unclear how the construction plan of the jail will be developed, but Smith has been talking with an architect firm.
Ideas were considered of adding floors or expanding the jail across the street but safety and fire codes have to be maintained.
The commission is following the plans closely with Smith and newly elected sheriff Heath Jackson.
The commission also approved commission meeting to continue on the second and fourth Monday of the month at 9 a.m. and the administration meetings will continue to be held on Tuesday’s prior to regular meetings at 4 p.m.
During the regular session, on the consent agenda, commissioners agreed to award bid for courthouse repairs, approved DYS repairs, approved ABC license transfer to Smith’s Quick Shop located on Butler Street and approved the State Homeland Security grant agreement.
In new business, the commission approved the meeting schedule, approved subdivision construction of Stokeley Plantation, Phase VI, transferred a 2009 Chevrolet Tahoe to the District Attorney’s office, transferred a 2009 Ford F-350 to the Boykin Damascus VFD and the resolution supporting the Bureau of Indian Affairs grant application of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians for the Jack Springs Road project.
There were no reports from the staff and the meeting was adjourned, ending the first commission meeting for Stewart and Reynolds.
With a new Escambia County Commission seat, comes four years of service.
New District 3 commissioner, Scottie Stewart and District 5 commissioner, Karean Reynolds were sworn into office prior to the regular commission meeting.
Commissioner David Stokes was also sworn in for his eighth term.
Both new commissioners were joined by their families for one of the most important and hard-earned moments of their lives.