HENRY COUNTY, Alabama (WTVY) – Plans to renovate the Henry County Jail are moving forward.

However, there was an obstacle to these renovations.

“The only obstacles we encountered were financial,” said David Money, chairman of the Henry County Commission.

Chairman Money says increased renovation costs were a major factor in this project.

“We were projecting the cost to be between $5 million and $6 million. Three or four months ago, a new estimate was submitted of $6.2 million. A few weeks ago, they came back and based on other projects and their current bids, they’re projecting $7.4 million. So the cost continues to rise,” Money explained.

Together with the rising costs for the medical care of prisoners, this amount adds up for the district.

“We (Alabama) County Commission Association are meeting next week for our annual meeting and on the agenda is to talk about ways to reduce costs. There are companies that will help you with that. It’s not just medical care, but dental care and other things. Along with the cost of the jail, we’re spending a lot of money,” Money said.

However, Money said they have reached a point where they can no longer postpone renovations due to the condition of the prison.

“We have a kitchen that is in poor condition, the facilities where the inmates have to be housed are not good. We have no place to isolate COVID-19 patients or the mentally ill. We are going to change that,” Money said.

According to Money, the Henry County Commission is working to overcome these financial hurdles.

“We have $3 million set aside in COVID-19 funds. We have $4.5 million left. We have about $1 million saved that we can use for this. We have $3.5 million left. We are hoping to get some kind of assistance with this. If that happens, we will have a balance that we can fund locally for 8 or 10 years to cover the costs,” the chairman said.

Money said the jail’s upgrades will now put the county in a good position to not have to worry about the jail’s condition for years to come.

The tender for the project is expected to begin on October 3.

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