Houston Co. Commission awards jail renovation project; discusses possible prison expansion | WDHN

HOUSTON COUNTY, Ala. (WDHN) — The Houston County Commission awarded the jail renovation project Tuesday and discussed the possibility of expanding it.

The renovation of the Houston County Jail is a more than $1.2 million project that includes automated locks, updated cameras and a brand new alarm system.

It will receive an ADECA grant worth more than $1 million, and while the grant covers a large portion of the costs, the county will have to spend more than $200,000 to cover the remaining balance.

Commission Chairman Brandon Shoupe said the prison is in serious need of these improvements and the commission is even considering expanding the prison soon.

“We’ve known for some time that we need to prioritize the prison a little more than we have in the past,” Shoupe said. “Regardless, we are going to proceed with the prison closures, we have an expansion in the next four to five years, we will see how that process plays out, but the commission is fully prepared to commit funds to the next budget.”

A Montgomery company has been awarded the renovation project and it is expected to take between 4 and 6 months.