Now, he is preparing to move again.
On Tuesday, deputies and other personnel will begin moving next door to the former district court building, which underwent a $5.3 million renovation and was renamed the Bell County Sheriff’s Office Building.
“What we’re ending up with for all practical purposes is a brand new building,” County Judge Jon Burrows said.
During construction, which included asbestos abatement, most of the interior was gutted. In the project, which was part of a $30 million construction effort for the Bell County Justice Center, Americans with Disability Act compliance issues were cleared up. Those included reconstructing stairs with gentler slopes and landings, and replacing elevator carriages.
Construction began during the summer of 2006 with the removing of asbestos. While workers did run into some weather–related delays, Burrows said the county didn’t have a timeline it was trying to meet.
“We said, ‘let’s just try to do it right so we don’t have to do punch list stuff after they’re in there,’” he said. “We’re going to have us a very fine building that’s very attractive with very useable space.”
Beginning Tuesday, in various waves, the county’s information technology department will move computers and phones into the new office space, which is already furnished with new furniture.
“As soon as those are in place our folks will move over,” Smith said.
The civil and warrants section, along with the call takers and patrol, are scheduled to move to the first floor on Tuesday. The criminal investigation division is scheduled to move to the third floor on Wednesday. On Thursday, Smith and the records department will move to the second floor.
On the fourth floor, child support offices and child protective services court will take up residence.
What they gain in the move is space.
“We have 20,000 square feet that we’ve been sharing with the jail staff for offices,” Smith said. “We’ll have more room over there on one floor than sharing half of a floor over here.”
That space, Smith said, will allow them to better serve the public.
“Now the deputies meet with complainants in a little room that’s 6 foot by 8 foot,” he said. “When two people meet with a deputy, it’s very uncomfortable.”
There also will be space to consolidate stored records, which are now spread between three buildings.
It also will create better working conditions for at least one deputy.
“The evidence guy will be happy not to empty a bucket twice a day,” Smith said.
Humidity is so high in the evidence storage room, a dehumidifier must be kept running 24 hours a day to keep the guns in evidence from rusting.
Deputies working in the warrants and civil section will have space to do their work as well.
“Right now their deputies don’t have an office to go to,” he said. “They have to do reports out of their cars or standing at the counter.”
Temple officers, who directly book in prisoners, also will have space to do their reports. Now, they complete reports in the county’s training room, which is often in use for training.
Deputies also will have a place to work out in the new building. The basement, in addition to a training room, will house a gym. Money from a signing bonus for the inmate telephone vendor was used to order workout equipment, Smith said.
“We’ll try to get our guys in a little better shape,” he said with a smile.
Those entering the building will go through package screening and metal detectors, and will have limited floor access. Elevators will empty into lobbies, where guests must be admitted into the offices.
After sheriff’s office employees move into the new space, maintenance work will be performed in the space they vacated. Jail staff will move into the space.
Smith moved into his current space in July 1987. When he took office in 1985, he had 67 employees including staff, jail and secretaries. Now, there are 259 employees, with about 185 of those jail staff.
Jail numbers have increased from 140 inmates in 1985. Last week, jail numbers were more than 700 and the jail had an all–time high of 822 during the fall of 2006. Those numbers necessitated another building project for the county, with a jail currently under construction next to the Bell County Justice Center on Loop 121.
Last fall, because of overcrowding in the jail, the county had to house prisoners in Limestone and Milam Counties. Smith said they could be sending prisoners outside the county earlier this year.
“If we had too many more days like we did this weekend, we’ll have to (send prisoners outside the county) soon,” he said. During the previous weekend, the 706–bed jail had 761 prisoners.
“By jail standards we have to have a bed for every inmate in the system, but we don’t count those incoming or outgoing. We keep those in holding.”
About 50 inmates are booked in and out on a daily basis.
The new jail is scheduled for completion during the summer of 2008.
jsicking@temple-telegram.com
