Sandage: County Jail expansion construction ‘running smoothly’

The new jail expansion is expected to be completed in September and open a few weeks later. (Photo by Patrick Baron/WJBC)

By Patrick Baron

BLOOMINGTON – The McLean County Sheriff is pleased with the progress that has been made for the county jail expansion.

The McLean County Jail expansion is well underway and getting closer to its opening day. County Sheriff Jon Sandage explains construction of the expansion has been going smoothly, thanks to a few key factors.

“It’s been an extremely smooth construction project, a lot of that’s in part due to River City Construction and also the hard work of all the planning that went into it,” Sandage said.

Sandage expects construction of the expansion to be completed mid-September. After that, he says staff will spend the next few weeks cleaning up and getting accustomed to the new building.

“It’ll take us a couple weeks to do shakedown searches of the new facility, make there’s sure no tools or anything like that left behind, and also to get out staff acclimated to the new facility,” explained Sandage.

The expansion is expected to house over 400 inmates. Total cost of the project is around $39 million.

Patrick Baron can be reached at [email protected].

Blogs

Labor Day – Expanding voting rights for all

By Mike Matejka Because of COVID, there is no Labor Day Parade this year.  It’s always a great event for our everyday workers to march proudly down the street and enjoys the festive crowd. If there had been a parade, this year’s Labor Day theme was to be “150 years of struggle: your right to vote.” …

Is federal mobilization the answer?

By Mike Matejka As President Donald Trump threatens to send federal marshals into Chicago, over the objections of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, recall another Illinois Governor who protested the incursion of armed federal personnel into the city.   Those federal troops, rather than calming, escalated the situation, leading to deaths and violence. Illinois poet Vachel Lindsay…

In these troubled times, to my fellow white Americans

By Mike Matejka Our nation is at a unique watershed in human relations. African-Americans have been killed too many times in the past before George Floyd, but the response to this man’s death is international and all-encompassing. I was a grade-schooler during the Civil Rights 1960s. I watched Birmingham demonstrators hosed and the Selma – Montgomery…

Workers’ Memorial Day – Remember those whose job took their life

Looking around our community, when we say employer, most will respond to State Farm, Country, or Illinois State University.   We too often forget those who are building our roads, serving our food, or our public employees. COVID-19 has made us more aware of the risk.  Going to work every day for some people means…