Warden Laura Williams told Concord Township Council the county correctional facility is undergoing more than $50 million in capital improvements, and she outlined timelines, recent inspections and in-facility programs during her report to the council.

The overview matters to Concord Township residents, Williams said, because the projects affect facility operations, safety and community notification systems. She listed HVAC replacement, roof work, surveillance and communications upgrades and other building renovations as part of the multi-year program.

“This is probably the most significant investment in capital improvement, which is totaling over $50,000,000 over the course of 2 and a half calendar years,” Warden Laura Williams said. She told the council that HVAC units — which had not been replaced since the facility was built in the late 1990s — are expected to be fully replaced by the end of this calendar year and that roof recoding work will follow with completion anticipated in mid‑2026. The broader improvement project is scheduled for estimated completion in June 2027.

Williams said the facility recently underwent independent inspections. “We have preliminarily passed,” she told the council, describing state inspections under Title 37, Chapter 95 (the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections’ requirement for county correctional agencies) and a multi‑day federal Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) review. The Title 37 inspection was completed on July 15, 2025; Williams said the PREA inspection took place in late July and required many interviews of incarcerated people and staff.

Williams also described community‑facing rehabilitation and education efforts. She said the jail graduated a second cohort of the New Leash on Life program, a 12‑week in‑custody dog rescue and training program in which six dogs were placed for adoption; participants in the program become eligible for early parole and continue supervised internships in the community. Williams also said the facility began its fourth year of the Inside‑Out Prison Exchange in partnership with Penn State Brandywine, in which incarcerated and outside students take college courses together.

On public notifications, Williams directed residents to the county alert system and how to sign up. “If you navigate to delcopa.gov/delcoalert, that will take you to the website for the Delco alert program,” she said, adding that residents must elect in to receive text, phone or email alerts.

Council members asked about partnerships and future programming; Williams said the jail is exploring horticultural and landscaping trade trainings through partnerships with Temple University and the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society that could lead to limited, supervised township collaborations, such as removing invasive species or performing landscaping tasks.

Williams told the council she will leave the post at the end of the week and that the County Executive will appoint a new warden, likely on an interim basis, with confirmation expected before the county jail oversight board at its next public meeting. She encouraged residents to follow monthly jail oversight board meetings for updates.

Ending: The projects Williams described remain subject to procurement and scheduling; the council was given projected completion windows and guidance on how residents can receive alerts about facility operations.