“The current Bastrop County jail will continue to outgrow its current state as the population grows,” according to a Capital Improvement Plan. “The growth in population unfortunately includes the growth in Bastrop County’s crime rate.”
The details
The steering committee will be composed of several Bastrop County staff members, including:
- Jennifer Pacheco, county auditor
- Leon Scaife, purchasing agent
- Maurice Cook, sheriff
Bastrop County Commissioners Court agreed with Scaife and discussed other potential members.
“We have to hire an architect,” Precinct 2 Commissioner Clara Beckett said during the meeting.
Some context
The jail—located in the Bastrop County Sheriff’s Office at 200 Jackson St. in Bastrop—was originally built in 1990 and operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“Presently these facilities accommodate a sheriff's office staff that exceeds 200 personnel and an average daily inmate population of 300,” according to the Capital Improvement Plan.
The facility, which can absorb inmate overflow from neighboring counties, had an addition in 2008.
“The addition ... not only increased the capacity for the jail population, but addressed the deficiencies in the kitchen, medical and laundry facilities,” according to the Capital Improvement Plan.
Also of note
A jail expansion is one of several projects Bastrop County is working on to enhance services for a growing population.
Bastrop County Commissioners Court approved a separate steering committee Aug. 11 for the design and construction of a projected $40 million Bastrop County judicial building, and a $9.7 million facility for its Development Services department could break ground in the coming months.
Bastrop County officials did not respond to Community Impact’s request for further project details by press time.
