Commissioners defend their Delaware County jail project

Specifically, the commissioners and County Attorney John Brooke on Monday talked about "due diligence" they had done in ruling out other possible jail plans before focusing on the project they've undertaken.

The commissioners have hired an Indianapolis firm, BW Development, that includes architecture firm RQAW, to build a new, 500-bed jail in the former ASONS/Wilson Middle School on Muncie's southwest side. The project has been forecast at $45 million.

In Monday's meeting, commissioners president James King and Brooke talked about what the commissioners considered before focusing on that project.

King said Brooke was preparing a report detailing the commissioners' efforts "so people know we didn't do this recklessly."

Brooke outlined some of the milestones in the commissioners' jail considerations:

• An August 2017 letter from a state jail inspector telling the commissioners they needed a jail plan because of overcrowding and other issues with the current jail, which opened in 1992. The jail is rated for 220 inmates but frequently has 300 or more.