Lame duck Jail Committee continues rush to build a new jail before the upcoming elections | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's Note: This article originally appeared in the Beaufort Observer.

    The lame-duck Beaufort County Jail Committee met April 9 and continued its push to ramrod a new jail on the taxpayers before the upcoming elections, when many believe the current majority of one vote will be reversed. It would appear that the Committee is rushing to get the project past the "point of no return" before the new board takes over.

    The Board approved, on a 4-3, split vote to appropriate two million dollars for this design work. It does not have permanent full financing for the project yet, nor does it have all of the permits to proceed with the project, but as you will see in the video they propose to push forward with the design work even before they get the permits and financing commitments in hand.

In the first video you hear Mosely Architects explain the schematic for the floor plan for the building. You'll learn that the "jail" is much more than simply a jail.


In the second clip you will hear a discussion about how they propose to get the zoning permits from the Town of Chocowinity:


In the third clip you hear a presentation by the Construction Management firm of MB Kahn on some preliminary cost estimates and alternatives. You will hear him say the estimated cost is between $19.7 million and $21.7 million.