Planning for New Jail Now Underway

HOT SPRINGS, S.D. — A new Fall River County Jail is in the planning stages. Members of the Fall River County Planning Committee — made up of a quorum of county commissioners — met on March 7 to discuss a wide range of topics, including how the committee would function, staffing of the potential facility, and how the hillside behind the proposed structure might be affected.

County Auditor Sue Ganje told the committee that the county had $600, 000 in its building fund and a total of $1,195,814 in its jail fund. County officials have estimated the cost of a new jail at about $2 million. Ganje added that the county building funds could be used for the construction of the jail, but that they may also be used for other projects.

In addition to building a new county jail, the committee also addressed the possibility of building a new dispatch center.

The committee will meet again on March 22, at which time they will discuss soliciting bids from architectural firms.