BENTONVILLE -- Benton County plans to tear down a portion of the old downtown county jail this summer, County Judge Barry Moehring said.
Moehring met with six circuit judges last week to inform them of plans to demolish a one-story portion of the old jail behind the courthouse that includes a sally port, a secure entrance and exit point.
Moehring hopes to begin demolition next month to lessen the effect and distraction it will have on the courts, but he pushed the project back to late summer. The demolition hinges on whether a proposed sales tax increase passes to build a new $30 million courts building on Second Street.
The Benton County Quorum Court last month approved the second reading to set a March election on a temporary, one-eighth percent sales tax to pay for the courts building. The third and final reading will be held next month.
Moehring said it's better to wait until summer and demolish the old jail site and two buildings on the Second Street site at the same time. The demolition will take up to 45 days. Bryan Beeson, county facilities administrator, said demolition work won't occur every day.
Beeson said plans are to use the demolished jail site as a staging area for material while the new courthouse is built.
Benton County Circuit Judge John Scott said he already has a full calendar for next August. Moehring assured the judges that they will be informed on the schedule for the demolition and construction work.
Scott and circuit judges Robin Green and Xollie Duncan are the three judges most affected by the demolition because their courtrooms are in the Benton County Courthouse. Circuit Judge Brad Karren's courtroom is in the annex on Second Street while Circuit Judge Doug Schrantz's courtroom is on Main Street. Circuit Judge Tom Smith's courtroom is in the Benton County Juvenile Judicial Center on Melissa Drive.
Beeson said the hope is to limit the effect on the judges.
"It's going to be a noise-maker, and they are going to have to find a way to control it," said Schrantz, who serves as the administrative judge in Benton County.
Plans call for the old jail site to become a parking lot with the completion of a new courthouse.
The coroner's office is in the space at the old jail that's set to be demolished. The office will remain downtown until at least March. There's no need to move the office into a temporary space since the demolition work isn't happening next month, Coroner Daniel Oxford said.
Oxford said officials have already started packing items and records not used on a daily basis.
An office for the coroner is being built at the Road Department on Melissa Drive. Oxford said construction is expected to be completed by the last week of February, and he expects the move to be complete by the middle of March.
The new location offers more space, he said.
"We will have space to sit down with families instead of standing in our office," he said.
Metro on 11/21/2018