THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, September 16, 1994 TAG: 9409150145
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 16 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANCIE LATOUR, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Short : 37 lines
City planners had to go back to the drawing board three months ago after angry residents protested the proposed construction of a new city jail annex near their Butts Station homes.
On Tuesday, the City Council unanimously passed an alternative plan for the annex, which will add three dormitories to the existing city jail in the municipal complex off Cedar Road.
In adopting the $2.4 million plan, the city hopes to cushion the increasing impact of overcrowding: the low security annex will house inmates eligible for work release programs, removing them from precious high-security jail space.
But with 24 inmates for each dormitory, the 72 bed-facility will fall short of original goals for a site that could house 100 and even be expanded to 200 inmates.
``Our first choice is still Butts Station,'' said City Manager James W. Rein, ``but we realized that's not going to happen.'' The Butts Station site would have accommodated 96 inmates at roughly the same cost, and could be expanded.
Still, Maj. David Newby of the Sheriff's Department said the plan was a compromise he could ``live with.''
Councilman John W. Butt, who worked with Public Works officials on the plan, said the access to existing jail services and courts would be a major advantage of the annex.
Though the annex will be added to the existing city jail site, said Public Works Director John A. O'Connor, the annex should not directly impact ongoing jail construction projects. by CNB