Daviess County Awards $60.5M Detention Center Renovation, Expansion Contract

An expansion and renovation project at the Daviess County, Ky., Detention Center will add 129 beds across more than 30,000 square feet of extra space. | Photo Credit: Courtesy of Daviess County

• The Daviess County, Ky., Fiscal Court voted 3-1 to award a $60.552 million renovation and expansion contract at the Daviess County Detention Center.
• A&K Construction submitted the lowest and best evaluated bid among four bidders; JKS Architecture is working with the county on project planning.
• The project will add 129 beds, increasing capacity from 482 to 611, and is expected to extend the building’s useful life by at least 25 years.
• County officials expect to borrow about $47 million and contribute roughly $14 million to $15 million in county funds; construction is projected to take 2½ to 3 years while the detention center remains operational.

OWENSBORO, Ky. — The Daviess County Fiscal Court in Kentucky has approved a $60.552 million contract to renovate and expand the main building of the Daviess County Detention Center, advancing a phased project intended to modernize the facility, address overcrowding and keep the jail operational throughout construction.

The court voted 3-1 to select A&K Construction from four bidders. When completed, the project is expected to create an essentially new 611-bed facility, up from the current 482 beds. The current 70,800-square-foot facility was built in 2001, and will expand to more than 102,000 square feet once renovations are complete.

The expansion project designed by JKS Architecture will add 129 beds, allowing inmates to remain at the detention center as renovation work moves through different phases rather than requiring transfers to multiple facilities in the region. Construction is expected to take approximately two-and-a-half to three years to complete while the facility remains open.

The renovated main building, identified by a 2023 engineering study as the best candidate for a major renovation project, is also expected to include a full kitchen and improved program space.

Daviess County Jailer Art Maglinger said the project will help the facility modernize operations and address safety, accessibility and overcrowding concerns. “[It is] a very exciting time for the future of DCDC to modernize operations, address current safety and accessibility standards, address overcrowding, among many other things,” said Maglinger, according to an article from Spectrum News 1.

Maglinger lauded the transparency and responsibility demonstrated by the Fiscal Court during the process, and estimated that constructing a new jail instead of renovating the existing facility could have approached $200 million.

County Treasurer Jordan Johnson told officials the county could take on the projected debt service without increasing taxes or reducing public services. “Fiscal Court can comfortably pursue the project and assume the projected debt service without raising taxes or cutting services to the public,” said Johnson, according to an article from the Messenger-Inquirer.

The bond ordinance authorizes borrowing of up to $60 million, though county officials expect the actual borrowing amount to be approximately $47 million. Annual debt service is projected at about $3.5 million over 20 years, with the county contributing approximately $14 million to $15 million from its own funds. The bonds may be redeemed or refinanced after 10 years without a prepayment penalty.

However, Commissioner Janie Marksberry, who cast the lone dissenting vote, objected to the project’s scale and cost, saying the scope had expanded substantially from earlier repair discussions. Spectrum News 1 reported that she also questioned expanding capacity while the county continues to house state and federal inmates.

Maglinger acknowledged that maintaining operations during construction will require adjustments, but said the phased approach and coordination with project stakeholders would help manage those challenges.

“I’m not naive to think that there won’t be any challenges [during the renovation], like changing where we do intake and the control room,” said Maglinger, according to an article from the Messenger-Inquirer. “There’s different phases, and I am confident in JKS Architecture that we’ve been working with, and they plan this out, and there will be good communication to kind of navigate through that.”

Spectrum News 1 reported that the project includes an on-site construction manager and a $5,000-per-day penalty for delays. The related bonds still require state approval before the project can move forward.

This article is based on reporting originally published by the Messenger-Inquirer on Aug. 13, 2026, and Spectrum News 1 on Aug. 16, 2026.