DeKalb County reviews $35 million jail schematic; architect outlines 182‑bed design
February 20, 2026 | DeKalb County, Tennessee
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At a DeKalb County meeting (date not specified in the transcript), county officials introduced Resolution 2020Six‑two143, a capital outlay note to fund construction of a new county jail, and heard a schematic presentation from the project architect (Speaker 2). The transcript does not record a vote on the resolution.
The architect described the schematic‑design outcome as “a 182 bed facility, and it's approximately 49,000 square feet right now,” and said the design currently stays within a $35,000,000 construction limit. He told commissioners the drawings were refined with the Sheriff's Department and to meet TCI standards, and outlined program elements including separate male and female detention environments, a small medical area, TCI‑required special purpose cells, booking/transfer/release spaces, administration areas, and food service and laundry facilities.
Commissioners and meeting participants pressed on siting and community impacts. The architect said the chosen location on a roughly 71‑acre parcel is driven largely by proximity to existing utilities and the flattest grades on the tract, which reduce grading and utility extension costs. A speaker asked how close the building would sit to nearby homes along Smith Road; the architect responded that the residential areas lie to the south and offered to provide dimensional distances (not specified in the transcript).
Security, circulation and future expansion were recurring concerns. The architect said the entire facility will be enclosed by a security fence with two gates and described the fence as “an 8 foot high, what we call a management fence. It has 3 rows of wire on top of it.” He described parking provision as 20 public spaces, 10 sheriff staff spaces and 10 administrative spaces, and noted covered, enclosed recreation yards after consultation with the Sheriff's Department. On capacity, the baseline schematic reflects 182 beds; the team said that, if the project filled the fenced green area with additional housing in a later phase, capacity could be roughly doubled, though that would depend on future TCI square‑foot requirements and pricing.
Budget and procurement posture remain conservative. The architect said market pricing has produced savings but that expansion elements are being excluded from the current budget until further pricing is completed. The transcript contains no recorded motion, mover/second, or vote tally for Resolution 2020Six‑two143.
Next steps were not recorded in the provided transcript excerpt. The resolution was introduced and the schematic presentation aired questions that staff and commissioners may need to address in follow‑up materials, including exact distances to nearby homes, a numeric fenced‑area footprint and any jurisdictional questions about where the sheriff's office must be sited.
The architect described the schematic‑design outcome as “a 182 bed facility, and it's approximately 49,000 square feet right now,” and said the design currently stays within a $35,000,000 construction limit. He told commissioners the drawings were refined with the Sheriff's Department and to meet TCI standards, and outlined program elements including separate male and female detention environments, a small medical area, TCI‑required special purpose cells, booking/transfer/release spaces, administration areas, and food service and laundry facilities.
Commissioners and meeting participants pressed on siting and community impacts. The architect said the chosen location on a roughly 71‑acre parcel is driven largely by proximity to existing utilities and the flattest grades on the tract, which reduce grading and utility extension costs. A speaker asked how close the building would sit to nearby homes along Smith Road; the architect responded that the residential areas lie to the south and offered to provide dimensional distances (not specified in the transcript).
Security, circulation and future expansion were recurring concerns. The architect said the entire facility will be enclosed by a security fence with two gates and described the fence as “an 8 foot high, what we call a management fence. It has 3 rows of wire on top of it.” He described parking provision as 20 public spaces, 10 sheriff staff spaces and 10 administrative spaces, and noted covered, enclosed recreation yards after consultation with the Sheriff's Department. On capacity, the baseline schematic reflects 182 beds; the team said that, if the project filled the fenced green area with additional housing in a later phase, capacity could be roughly doubled, though that would depend on future TCI square‑foot requirements and pricing.
Budget and procurement posture remain conservative. The architect said market pricing has produced savings but that expansion elements are being excluded from the current budget until further pricing is completed. The transcript contains no recorded motion, mover/second, or vote tally for Resolution 2020Six‑two143.
Next steps were not recorded in the provided transcript excerpt. The resolution was introduced and the schematic presentation aired questions that staff and commissioners may need to address in follow‑up materials, including exact distances to nearby homes, a numeric fenced‑area footprint and any jurisdictional questions about where the sheriff's office must be sited.
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