Demolition of Georgia jail begins

Demolition work has begun at the old Chatham County Jail in Georgia as part of an ongoing renovation project, a report by the Savannah Morning News says. The jail will be replaced with a new four-story judicial building for superior and state courts, court administration and a large, multiparty courtroom.

TOA LLC, Norcross, began removing the outer walls in preparation Feb. 21, the report says. Chatham County Engineer Leon Davenport says in the report the demolition will be completed in around 120 days. In 2008, the project was estimated to cost $1.5 million dollars, but the actual cost totals at $700,000.

Last year, the county spent $300,000 to remove asbestos products and floor tiles and crews have spent the past several weeks preparing the site by cutting off utilities and sealing connections to the J. Tom Coleman courthouse adjacent to the jail. Because the jail houses a large amount of concrete, demolition crews used track hoes with large claws rather than explosives.

The work is part of an ongoing renovation project for the courthouse area. The report says renovations of the courthouse’s exterior and interior were completed, and a new court facility is planned.

The county moved from an old jail into the Chatham County Jail in 1978 with a capacity of 381 inmates. The facility expanded and was placed under a federal court order to expand the maximum inmate population and in 1988, the Chatham County Detention Center opened. In 1989, expansion of the detention center was necessary because of the volume of inmates. The jail completed its move to the detention center and the Chatham County Jail was not longer used. Currently, the detention center can house 1,974 inmates.