Jefferson County Jail Renovation Nears Completion

BROOKVILLE, Pa. — An expansion and renovation project at the Jefferson County Jail in Brookville is nearing completion after two years of construction.

New Kensington, Pa.-based Arcon Contracting Inc. is serving as the construction manager on the project. Uniontown, Pa.-based Hranec Sheet Metal is providing HVAC work; Kittanning, Pa.-based Enders Plumbing is providing plumbing work; and Meadville, Pa.-based Cox & Kanyuck Electric is providing electrical work.

The first phase of the $8 million construction project included a new medical department, program rooms and cellblock, Warden Tom Elbel told WJAC, a local news station. That included adding 40 beds to create a total of 175 beds for the jail. Inmates were transferred from a modular unit made of trailers bolted together into the new cellblock in December.

As for the program rooms, the jail currently offers two Bible classes, a church service, GED classes for inmates under 18 years old, an AA program, as well as drug, alcohol and mental health counseling for eligible inmates; however, the jail will now be able to accommodate additional programming.

Still under construction are the new booking center, kitchen and minimum-security area. The new booking center will expand upon the current, much smaller one. Here, inmates will undergo a search and will shower before being moved to the general population. The minimum-security area will be able to hold up to 48 inmates once completed.

The construction work on the Jefferson County Jail is necessary for the county and will likely save the county money in the long-term since its previous modular unit was nearing the end of its life cycle and would have required extensive repairs to bring it up to standards. The project is expected to be completed by July, followed by an open house for the public to tour the facility.