Dooly County approves $5.75 million jail bond, buys Pinehurst site for new facility

The Dooly County Board of Commissioners adopted a resolution on April 2 authorizing the sale of $5,750,000 in General Obligation Jail Bonds to finance a new county jail, and later completed the bond closing and established an escrow account for the proceeds.

The bond resolution sets the bonds as Dooly County General Obligation Jail Bonds, Series 1998, names Citizens Bank as the purchaser and paying agent, and lays out a repayment schedule and a continuing tax levy to secure the debt. The Board authorized the execution of closing documents and directed that escrow funds be deposited in an account at Citizens Bank; checks will require two of three signatures: Chairman Wayne J. West, Vice-Chairman A. C. Daniels, or Clerk Stephen C. Sanders.

Why it matters: County officials said the funds will pay costs to acquire, construct and equip a new jail facility and related expenses. The board also took steps to ensure oversight of the funds by creating an escrow account and identifying signatories.

Board action and site selection: Separately from the bond authorization, commissioners considered several candidate locations for the jail. After architect assessments and public review, the Board selected a site on the south side of the Pinehurst–Hawkinsville Road between Pinehurst and I‑75, contingent on two conditions: (1) a written commitment from the City of Pinehurst that water, gas and sewer utilities will be available and functioning at that site by Sept. 1, 1999 at no cost to the county, and (2) successful negotiations for purchase terms with the property owner. The county later purchased a ~14.5‑acre parcel from Eugene McCleskey for the site and contracted the architect Clemons, Rutherford & Associates to complete site surveys and soils investigations.

Implementation steps and oversight: The board approved additional professional services (site survey and soils testing) for the architect and directed the architect to solicit construction management proposals for the construction phase. The Georgia Sheriffs’ Association has been involved in federal review negotiations with the U.S. Justice Department and reported that DOJ approval of the jail design was expected and that the department would likely be flexible on the construction deadline given ongoing negotiations.

Votes and next steps: The bond resolution and escrow account creation were adopted with unanimous board votes recorded in the minutes. Commissioners authorized site acquisition and professional services; staff were directed to manage procurement and contracting steps and return with recommended construction managers and financing documents. The county plans to proceed with design and construction management once federal reviews and required site approvals are complete.