Commissioners identify new site for Monroe County jail: Here's what we know

Monroe County Commissioners President Julie Thomas said Tuesday evening the county is now looking at North Park, an area northwest of the intersection of Interstate 69 and the Ind. 45/46 Bypass.

County attorney Jeff Cockerill said he did not yet have permission from the owner to reveal the exact location, but North Park consists of multiple mostly vacant properties owned by construction company Crider & Crider along Ind. 46 and Hunter Valley Road. Crider owns the properties through a limited liability company called Logan Land Development.

Cockerill said a lot of matters, including facility size, suitability of the location and environmental review, have yet to be addressed. The community hasn't weighed in, and the county has to determine whether to build space near the new facility for related county offices, including the sheriff, 10 courts, the prosecutor's office, the public defender's office and the probation department.

The county previously estimated a 400-bed facility would cost around $75 million, Cockerill said. Last year the current jail had an average population of 160 inmates. The current jail's capacity is 294. The county would have to borrow the money and pay it back through existing or new tax revenue.