Graham County commissioners order temporary move of booking room while jail repairs proceed

The Graham County Board of Commissioners unanimously voted July 25 to temporarily seal the booking room at the Graham County Detention Center and relocate booking operations while county staff complete repairs.

The action followed multiple staff reports that some employees "feel sick by working in the jail," Chair Meggan Smith said, and a telephone update from Sheriff Brad Hoxit that "there have been issues for several years, serious issues that need to be addressed." Smith said a tour of the facility showed deterioration in some areas and that the county had received an OSHA inspection that "did not find cause for great concern." Manager Brady Cody said preliminary environmental samples had been taken and that staff would issue a report when available.

Commissioners said they want to minimize costs while keeping inmates and employees safe. Project Manager Jason Marino told the board he expected the repairs to take "no more than two weeks" and that preliminary bids had been solicited. Marino said moving the booking office temporarily to the courthouse Jury Room is feasible; Clerk of Court Tammy Holloway agreed to allow use of the Jury Room during renovations, and staff plan to add security bars to the windows and confirm IT needs for computers and the fingerprint machine.

Sheriff Brad Hoxit warned that a full closure of the jail would require relocating inmates to other counties and said that would add roughly $15,000 in transportation costs. Hoxit said Swain County is at capacity and Cherokee County has limited space. Commissioners discussed the longer-term possibility of housing juvenile or federal inmates to generate revenue but took no formal action on that idea.

Commissioner Natasha Williams said lead was identified in door frames and in the tile in parts of the facility and described a small amount of lead in the doorway and floor of the "drunk tank," which is separate from inmate housing. Williams said the inmate housing areas could be sealed off from the booking area during repairs and advocated keeping the jail open while moving booking operations.

Attorney Coward told the board the first round of remediation quotes had come in at about $200,000. Commissioners directed Manager Cody and Project Manager Marino to begin the abatement and assist with the booking-room move and discussed contracting out laundry services temporarily if areas of the jail are closed for work.

The board first voted to approve the meeting agenda and later approved the booking-room relocation and demolition/abatement directive by unanimous vote. The meeting closed without a closed session and the board adjourned by unanimous vote.