New Addition Expands DeKalb County Jail

SYCAMORE, Ill. — Officials from DeKalb County and national firms, Gilbane Building Company and Dewberry Architects, gathered on May 18 to celebrate the official ribbon-cutting ceremony for the newly completed DeKalb County Jail expansion in Sycamore.

Gilbane served as construction manager for the 83,000-square-foot project, which consisted of an addition to the existing DeKalb County Jail site, including 57 new beds, a booking area capable of holding 25 inmates and shell space sized for approximately 56 future beds. The project broke ground in spring 2016, requiring meticulous phasing and logistics planning due to the challenges of the tight construction site in a busy area of downtown Sycamore. The project also needed a bit of creativity during construction to bring it within the available funding budget for DeKalb County.

As reported by Correctional News last year, jail staff will also see some improvements with the new addition. The jail had to remove break rooms and convert them into cells in the past due to the space/capacity problems, making it a challenge for staff — guards, counselors, nurses and doctors — to take a break throughout work shifts. The new facility will provide break rooms, locker rooms and personal desk space, in addition to an outdoor break patio located on the second floor.

The new detention center addition is located in the area directly east of the Public Safety Building (PSB) and connects to the existing PSB via a new exterior elevated corridor bridge.

Sycamore is located in North-Central Illinois and has a population of 17,519 as of the 2010 Census.