Officials of Juab County joined mayors of each of the communities in the county at a groundbreaking ceremony for the new public safety building in Nephi last week.
The Juab County Commissioners and members of the Juab Building Authority manned golden shovels at the ceremony for the new $1.9 million facility.Cliff Lawrence, Lawrence Construction, Salt Lake City, construction manager, said construction was to begin Monday and will take a year. Target date for occupancy is Nov. 1, 1994, and on Jan. 1, 1995, the first prisoners should be housed in the complex.
"The new jail can house 54 prisoners," said Dave Carter, Juab County Sheriff.
"The architect has made certain the facility meets all state and federal standards."
Carter said the jail will have a kitchen, an outdoor recreation area and an impound lot. "We will dispatch all emergency services from the new facility."
Gillies Stransky Brems Smith, of Salt Lake City, are architects of the project.
County Commissioner Joseph Ber-ni-ni, chairman of the building authority, said the new facility is long-needed. The old jail is too small, he said, so prisoners have to be farmed out to jails in other counties, such as Sanpete and Millard. Housing prisoners out-of-county has been expensive, he said.
"Crime has expanded in our county over the last few years," said Nephi Mayor Robert Steele. "It is a much-needed facility."
Commission Chairman Ike Lunt agreed. "I thing it will be a real asset. It will bring us up to federal and state standards."