A formal ground breaking ceremony for the expansion of the Baxter County Detention Center will take place on Friday, August 17, 2018 at 2:00 PM on the grounds of the Detention Center.  The expansion was made possible from the revenue being derived from a temporary one cent sales tax that was approved by the voters of Baxter County.  The temporary tax began to be collected in April, 2018 and will be collected through the end of September, 2018, after which the one cent tax will expire.  That temporary tax will then be immediately replaced by a permanent ¼ cent sales tax to fund the continued operation of the Detention Center from that point forward, which was also approved by the voters.

     Most of the construction bids have already been awarded, and construction on the expansion project is expected to begin next week.  In anticipation of construction getting underway, the Sheriff’s Office has installed a live feed camera that shows the area where construction will take place so that the public can monitor progress.  This live feed camera can be accessed by the public from the Sheriff’s Office website at:

https://www.baxtercountysheriff.com/jailexpansion

     The public is welcomed to attend Friday’s ground breaking ceremony.  County officials and representatives from the general contractor will be on hand.

     Once construction commences, the area between the Sheriff’s Administration Offices and the Detention Center  area will likely be congested with construction equipment, materials, and vehicles.  The roadway between the two buildings may be closed at times due to that congestion.

/s/ John F. Montgomery,
Baxter County Sheriff