By Patrick Baron

BLOOMINGTON – Local leaders broke ground Monday on a $45 million McLean County Jail expansion, which includes a mental health facility.

Overseen by the County Board, Property Committee and Public Building Commission, the additions are expected to place safety and security as the top priorities for its patients. County Board Chairman John McIntyre explained the new facility will boost the treatment and rehabilitation for people affected by mental illnesses.

McLean County Sheriff Jon Sandage said the facility will have “substantial completion” by October, 2018. Sandage also said the facility will be an example of how communities treat and assist people with mental illnesses.

“This will show that, not only government, but social service agencies can come together to come up a plan to make sure that we do the bets we can in treating those that have a mental illness,” Sandage explained.

Jail capacity will be at 400, nearly double what it is now.

The expansion has been in the works for the past two years. Sandage described a trip that several of the project’s leaders went on to examine out-of-state prisons and mental health facilities. He said it gave them, and the building architect, a better idea of what would work best for McLean County.

“We went with our architect down to Atlanta and toured three jails that have been built in the last five to ten years, just to see what works and what doesn’t work,” Sandage said. “I think doing that gave us a better idea of what’s going to work for us.”

County Board Property Committee Chairman Paul Segobiano said, once complete, the building will be an example of how to treat people with mental illnesses in a respectful way.

Patrick Baron can be reached at [email protected].