COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL) — The Columbus City Council has a lengthy agenda on Tuesday. At the top of that agenda is the request for councilors to approve a site for the proposed new jail.
WRBL News 3's Chuck Williams was at the city services center, where the council is meeting.
Two weeks ago, the council heard from building professionals who have been exploring costs, locations, and designs for a new Muscogee County Jail.
They say that at $478 million, this will be the most expensive city construction project ever.
There have been multiple jail sites considered, but the mayor is now asking the city council to settle on one location so the process can move forward.
That location is off 11th Avenue, near Cusseta Road. It is city-owned and part of the public works compound.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Columbus mayor discusses 'staggering' cost to replace Muscogee County Jail
Columbus Mayor Skip Henderson has called the cost for a replacement for the current jail, built in 1983 and 2002, staggering.
"I think you'll see us take a look at everything that might have an impact on the overall cost. We always try to do value engineering. We always look for the best value," Henderson said. "Value doesn't always mean the lowest cost because you still just want to make sure that you still want to make sure that it's done in a quality manner. In this particular situation, we're not going to sacrifice quality and safety, but we're going to look at every avenue we can find to try to hold that cost."
The mayor added, "It's going to be scrutinized. I mean, every aspect of this entire process is going to be looked at very, very carefully. And there'll be some negotiations."
This is pretty deep in the agenda, while another item on the agenda is establishing a Homeless Task Force.
The plight of the unhoused has been a controversial topic at the city council. The Crime Prevention Office's grants are also up for discussion.
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