By Denise Blaz
Abilene Reporter-News
JONES COUNTY, Texas — The termination of a contract awarded by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice derailed plans to fill the beds of a detention facility that was completed in May 2010 for a price of $35 million.
On Friday Jones County Judge Dale Spurgin said the 1,112-bed prison remains vacant. “I think people are disappointed, but we’re just going to continue to work on it,” Spurgin said. “It’s a brand new facility, someone is eventually going to use it.”
The county did not input any money into the project, he said. Instead, revenue bonds were sold by the state to finance the project.
“We’re in kind of a hold right now,” Spurgin said. “I don’t think there’s going to be any movement in the immediate future,” Spurgin said the prison could continue being vacant another six months, if not longer.
“This is the situation we’re in and we’re just going to do the best we can to get it resolved,” Spurgin said. “We have other possibilities for other people interested in using it.”
A follow-up meeting with California representatives is in the works to place inmates in Texas, he said.
“Under a Supreme Court ruling, they need to get their overpopulation corrected,” Spurgin said. “We’re waiting on that,” When is use, the detention facility will create 196 jobs.
Copyright 2011 The E.W. Scripps Company
All Rights Reserved