New Starke County Jail Nearing Completion

This building on SR 8 at CR 550 E is part of the new Starke County Sheriff's Office and Detention Center.
This building on SR 8 at CR 550 E is part of the new Starke County Sheriff’s Office and Detention Center.

To use a baseball analogy, construction of the Starke County Sheriff’s Department and Detention Center has rounded third base and is heading for home plate. That’s how Dion Katsouros from Skillman Corporation described the project to the Starke County Building Corporation during their monthly meeting. Continue reading

Starke County Officials Preparing for Jail Opening

Starke County Courthouse
Starke County Courthouse

Starke County Sheriff Bill Dulin will discuss the staffing needs for the new jail with the county commissioners when they meet this evening. The facility east of Knox on State Road 8 is scheduled to open in June and will house nearly twice as many inmates as the existing jail. The advance agenda for the 6 p.m. meeting indicates Dulin will ask for permission to hire two more full-time jail officers. He will also review the revised listing of needed equipment with the commissioners. Continue reading

Starke County Commissioners, Building Corporation to Award Jail Courtroom Bids

This building on SR 8 at CR 550 E is part of the new Starke County Sheriff's Office and Detention Center.
This building on SR 8 at CR 550 E is part of the new Starke County Sheriff’s Office and Detention Center.

The Starke County Commissioners are expected to award bids this evening for the interior build-out of the Starke County Jail Courtroom. The commissioners received eight bids for general services and four each for mechanical and electrical work. Representatives from Skillman Corporation took them under advisement at the Jan. 8 bid opening and have reviewed them to make sure they meet the specifications outlined in the project documents. Base bids range from a low of $167,500 to a high of $227,250, with five alternates each. Continue reading

County Officials Considering Uses for Existing Jail Building

starke-county-jail-outsideThe current Starke County Jail in downtown Knox will still be owned by the county and used for correctional programs once the new Starke County Sheriff’s Office and Detention Center east of Knox on State Road 8 opens next year. Commissioner Kathy Norem says the building is part of the collateral for the loan to build the new structure, so it cannot be sold or torn down and must be used in the justice arena. She says the county set aside money to renovate the building. Continue reading

Knox Board of Works Approves Pay Application For Water Line Project

Knox Board of Public Works
Knox Board of Public Works

The Knox Board of Works this week approved two motions regarding the water line installation project for the Starke County Sheriff’s Department and Detention Center at the intersection of State Road 8 and County Road 550 East in Knox. Bob Alloy with Territorial Engineering approached the board and explained that the work is still taking place for the county’s portion of the project, but the work for the city of Knox has been completed.

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Knox Water Line Installation for New Jail Delayed

Knox City Council
Knox City Council
The Knox City Council this week heard an update on the water line installation project for the Starke County Sheriff’s Department and Detention Center at the intersection of State Road 8 and County 550 East in Knox. Mayor Rick Chambers told the council that Mark Milo Enterprises, the winning bidder for the project, was unable to start the work last week due to timing concerns with the holidays and a delay in the delivery of materials.

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Starke Commissioners, Building Corporation to Meet Today

This building on SR 8 at CR 550 E will soon house the new Starke County Jail.
This building on SR 8 at CR 550 E will soon house the new Starke County Jail.
A special session has been scheduled for the Starke County Commissioners and the Building Corporation to discuss the ongoing construction of the new Starke County Sheriff’s Office and Detention Center. The agenda allots time for an update on the construction, as well as for discussion regarding an additional invoice from Territorial Engineering. A financial report and discussion of claims will also take place.

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Starke County Officials Break Ground on New Jail

 
 
Work will start next week on the new Starke County Sheriff’s Department and Detention Center. County officials turned ceremonial shovels of dirt yesterday during the official groundbreaking for the $14 million project. The 146 bed jail will replace the existing 63 bed facility across from the courthouse. It opened in 1976, and Sheriff Oscar Cowen says a lot has changed since he joined the department in May of 1980.

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Groundbreaking Scheduled for New Sheriff’s Department and Detention Center

This building on SR 8 at CR 550 E will soon house the new Starke County Jail.
This building on SR 8 at CR 550 E will soon house the new Starke County Sheriff’s Department and Detention Center.

Starke County officials will break ground for the Starke County Sheriffs Department and Detention Center east of Knox on State Road 8 on Thursday, Nov. 7. The public is welcome to attend the hour-long ceremony, which will begin at 10 a.m. The new 146 bed facility will more than double the capacity of the existing jail, which can hold up to 63 prisoners. The project was prompted by a federal lawsuit due to overcrowding at the jail.

“We’re housing an average of 15-20 prisoners a day in other jail facilities and have had up to 30 Starke County prisoners in the Pulaski County Jail. We are desperate to get this project done,” Sheriff Oscar Cowen said. His term as sheriff ends in 2014, and he’s not eligible to run for reelection due to term limits.

The project timeline calls for completion of the work in two stages. The sheriff’s department will be done by May of 2014, and the detention pods and 911 center will be finished by April of 2015. Bids for the project came in at $13.1 million.