Officials in Rhea County say the county’s new jail and justice center is on schedule and just under budget as it heads for the home stretch in the coming weeks.
Rhea County Commission Chairman Jim Reed, who has been involved since the early planning and as project details were being refined in 2018 and 2019, said he was happy the project is now “getting real close” to completion. Reed and the rest of the commission in early 2019 were still studying bids and funding options, and now it’s all nearly done.
“We’re looking for 100% completion by the end of December,” said Jim Vincent, county commissioner for the 7th District and county building inspector who was hired by the county a little more than a year ago to oversee the county’s interests in project.
The new justice center makes use of portions of the old Rhea Medical Center’s buildings and campus at the intersection of Walnut Church Grove Road and Rhea County Highway on the north end of Dayton. Parts of the old medical center date back as far as parts of the old jail.
“The budget was something like $23.3 million and we’re going to come in $300,000 to $400,000 below that,” Vincent said. He said some changes in the project have produced savings to pay for other needed improvements. Budget estimates have fluctuated, once standing as high as $25 million as demolition of the old building got underway and the design was tweaked.