The board of commissioners in Fulton County, Georgia has signed off on a $1.3 billion multi-phase capital improvement plan to address aging jail facilities and expand capacity.
Commissioners at a recent meeting approved financing for the plan, which involves selling bonds to fund the construction of a new 1,800-bed special purpose facility to house inmates living with physical, mental and behavioral health challenges, renovations to the existing Rice Street Jail, demolition of several aging buildings and improvements to a power plant that serves the correctional facility.
According to a feasibility study commissioned by the county in 2021, 80% of the jail has outlived its useful life and 70% of inmates can be classified as living with mental health challenges.
Phase one of the capital improvement plan includes design work that will begin this year on the new special purpose facility. The project includes building an infirmary and housing jail support services under one roof — including food service, laundry, intake and visitation — with the goal of improving efficiency, officials said.
Demolition work of several older buildings — including the Bellwood facility, Jefferson Place, the warden’s house, and the current Accountability Court — will begin this year to make room for the new facility.
Construction on the special purpose facility is expected to begin in 2028 with a projected opening date of 2031.
Phase two of the plan includes making approximately $444 million in renovations to housing spaces within the existing Rice Street Jail and spending $45 million to expand the Central Plant to serve that facility.
Completion of renovations to the jail is anticipated in 2035, officials said.
Photo by RDNE Stock project from Pexels
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