After over three years of planning, groundbreaking ceremonies for the new Marion County Law Enforcement Center are set for Friday morning at 10. The event will be held at the site for the new facility off Hwy. 202 at 221 Randolph Road west of Yellville.
The new enforcement center will replace an almost 40-year-old facility that has been under constant threat of closure for failure to meet minimum state standards.
Last November voters in Marion County approved a sales tax increase to pay for the construction of the new law enforcement center. Revenue generated by the tax hike will pay a bond issue funding the construction and equipping of the new facility to house the county jail, administrative offices of the sheriff’s department and a communications center.
Marion County Judge Terry Ott says the new facility will house approximately 62 inmates. The current jail holds 18-20 prisoners. Depending on the makeup of the jail population, the capacity could be as low as 12.
While the bond measure voters approved was roughly $8.1 million, Ott says bids have come in well under budget at about $1 million less than anticipated.
He says construction will begin soon.
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Judge Ott says officials would have been forced to close the current facility this past May without plans for the new center. Without moving forward, Ott says their current jail would have been converted to a 24-hour facility, with inmates having to be moved to other locations.
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