New White County Jail Hasn`t Taken Ground

Plans to break ground on a new jail in White County are still up in the air. The county already purchased the land it needs at 1600 E. Booth Street in Searcy. Earlier in January, however, the Searcy Zoning and Planning Commission denied the county`s request to rezone the area for the jail, saying it hadn`t met the requirements. While the city and the county are working together to resolve the issue, some neighbors say they`d rather no have a jail next door. "Think it`s gonna bring down value as far as property in the area. I don`t think people are gonna move in as far as the industrial area," said Louis Froud. His business, Metal Roofing and Supply, backs up to the land in question. "Nobody wants a jail in their backyard, but we`re not in their backyard. We`re in a designated area, 500-700 fett from any street," said County Judge Bob Parish. Parish says this place is industrial, with 50 jobs and an $11 million dollar jail construction project to go on this site. He says it`s actually much better than the current locaion. "Our detention center today is within 200 feet of our junior high school. Our trustees are walking in the street washing cars, out here they`ll be behind the fence," Parish said. Meanwhile, he says they are looking for other locations just in case. But the problem with those it that they`re in the county and it would cost more to put those locations on the sewer line. "But we want to be here in Searcy, the law says the county jail must be in the capital precinct of the county, and that`s Searcy," he said. The judge called an intergovernmental meeting Thursday evening for all of the county`s mayors and the public to have some input on the matter. The Searcy City Council is expected to consider it at their Feburary meeting.