By DAVE HAMRICK
Staff Writer

Fayette County and the Board of Education are going to be coming to local taxpayers for mega-bucks at about the same time.

Now that expansion of the property available for a new county government complex has been completed, officials are working on funding possibilities and detailed plans for a jail and judicial complex, and will be looking for $60 million to $65 million this fall.

“We still have a huge decision — how do we raise this kind of money?” said Commissioner Greg Dunn, who is heading up a committee to plan the new jail and courthouse. Commissioners will ponder that decision for the next month and hopes to have plans in place by September.

A Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax is one possibility, but Dunn said commissioners are well aware that the county school board will probably be launching its own SPLOST in an effort to fund about $95 million worth of school construction. Commissioners will be considering several funding possibilities, he said.

The county's need for funding has been reduced somewhat by the recent purchase of land so that the current jail and judicial complex can be used, rather than starting from scratch and building new facilities.

Plans are to use the existing courthouse as a new sheriff's office, then add two new pods similar to the existing ones at the jail. One pod will provide medium-security lodging for prisoners and one will be minimum-security. The existing jail will house maximum-security prisoners, and additional support facilities such as a jail administrative office and medical clinic will have to be added on.

Two additional jail pods have been designed, but won't be built until they're needed, said Dunn.

The jail portion of the project will cost about $28 million, and a new courthouse will be about $35 million.

Tentative plans include a tunnel connecting the jail and courthouse to ensure maximum security while transporting prisoners.

The Sheriff's Department has been involved in every step of the planning process, said Dunn. “It's going to be sort of chaotic for the sheriff while we're doing this,” he said, adding, “It's been a very good working relationship.”

Sheriff's officials would prefer a new building, but are supportive of efforts to save money, Dunn said. “We can save money and still provide for all their needs.

“They're doing a phenomenal job in there right now,” Dunn said of the sheriff's officials. The jail is handling twice as many prisoners as it was designed for, and there's no space to completely separate hardened criminals from those who are in jail for lesser crimes.

Commissioners will soon approach the city of Fayetteville about abandoning most of Long Street so the county can close the street and make it part of the government complex. “I think everybody understands the need,” said Dunn.

When the time comes to add the County Administrative Complex to the site, Dunn said, plans are to make that facility big enough that all county services can be housed there.

Currently, the county rents space at several places around Fayetteville, in addition to owning the Stonewall Avenue complex.

The entire site will be master-planned.