XENIA — Auglaize, Greene and Miami are among 11 counties that will share approximately $50 million for construction, renovation and security improvement upgrades at nearly a dozen jails across Ohio, Gov. Mike DeWine announced Thursday.
According to summaries provided by the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, Greene County will receive $15 million in matching funds for an addition to and renovation of the Greene County Adult Detention Center, on Greeneway Boulevard. The project will add an estimated 76,307 square feet to the facility, 250 beds and repurpose 232 existing beds for recovery services and mental health counseling programs.
Once completed, the project will allow Greene County to close the county jail, built in 1969 on Market Street. The $15 million award represents 25% of the total project cost.
News Center 7 and whio.com reached out to Sheriff Scott Anger for reaction and comment late Thursday afternoon and we’re hoping to hear from him.
Auglaize County will receive $2.035 million for renovations at its jail in a project that will increase the number of beds for female inmates and provide additional special needs beds for males and females. The award represents approximately 40% of the overall project cost.
Miami County will receive $175,000 for a needs assessment that will be used to identify current and future needs of the county, including the need for a new jail. The current county full-service jail opened in 1972.
Gov. Mike DeWine and Annette Chambers-Smith, director of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, announced the awards Thursday while meeting with community leaders at the Corrections Center of Northwest Ohio, in Stryker, which serves Williams, Defiance, Fulton, Henry and Lucas counties. CCNO will receive more than $4.6 million to enhance inmate the staff safety through the installation of secure cell doors in a unit of the jail that houses high-security inmates. The money also will go toward building an operations center for staff between two minimum-security dorms.
“It’s critical that our jails are safe and secure,” DeWine said in a prepared statement. “But it’s also important that our jail environments can influence positive change and put inmates on a good path upon release.
“With this funding, we’re helping these local jails move forward with projects that will allow them to better meet the demands of our modern criminal justice system and further support the growing number of inmates struggling with substance use and mental health issues,” the governor said.
The grants represent the second round of funding offered as part of the Ohio Jail Safety and Security Grant Program, as part of the state’s capital budget, according to DeWine’s office. The first round of grants included $5 million for major construction projects at six local jails and an additional $5 million for smaller-scale projects at six additional facilities.
Here’s how the money in the second round of funding will be divided:
Construction/Renovation Projects - Auglaize ($2,035,970); Columbiana ($462,000); Greene ($15,000,000); Lucas ($10,065,000); Wayne ($15,000,000); and Williams ($4,662,756).
Security Upgrades -- Carroll County ($227,300); Hancock ($248,480)
Needs/Feasibility Assessments -- Jackson ($1,000,000); Miami ($175,000); and Ottawa ($350,000_
In September 2022, inflation caused the downsizing of the plan for a new Greene County Jail, WHIO.com and News Center 7 reported.
In December 2021, Greene County commissioners were looking to borrow millions to finance a new jail after voters rejected a sales tax levy.
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