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Houston County adds CMH Architects contract to agenda as officials outline ~$49M jail expansion plan
Summary
Commissioners placed on the regular agenda a request to hire CMH Architects for a proposed jail expansion; staff cited a $41 million construction estimate plus $8 million in renovations, an architect fee near $1.9 million, and capacity pressures with about 533 inmates on the day of the meeting.
Houston County commissioners on Monday moved to place on the regular agenda a request to retain CMH Architects Incorporated to design and evaluate options for a proposed jail expansion and renovation.
Mr. Adams, who presented the architect agreement, said the base construction estimate for a new tower is about $41 million for 344 adult beds and a 16‑bed juvenile wing, and that an additional $8 million is estimated for renovations to the existing facility — including medical, kitchen and sewer repairs — bringing the combined construction/renovation estimate to roughly $49 million. He said the architect’s total base fee on the contract is “just under $2 million, 1.9 million.”
“So, we’ve got the $41 million estimate for the construction of the new tower in Tupelo,” Mr. Adams said. He described a set of subprojects and options the architect will evaluate, including an assessment of an existing community corrections/work‑release building (a $20,000 assessment fee was cited) and a possible separate downtown renovation for the community corrections facility.
Commissioners discussed the county’s capacity pressures and inmate counts. When asked for the current inmate count, the presenter replied, “533 I think this morning,” and commissioners noted the county had averaged about 570 historically and could reach a critical staffing and management threshold near 600 inmates.
One commissioner said the county could “solve this problem for probably I don’t know $20 million” if it renovated community corrections and built a new community corrections building without adding long‑term capacity to the main jail; another commissioner urged caution and long‑term solutions, saying any chosen approach should last “a minimum of 25 years.”
Staff and commissioners also discussed grant prospects. Mr. Adams said it is “almost impossible” to find federal construction funding for jails but noted reintegration and Bureau of Justice Administration grants may be available for related rehabilitative or reintegration work. Commissioners discussed hiring a grant writer to pursue available funding and coordinating that person with jail staff and external grant advisors.
The commission did not approve construction or a financing plan at the administrative session; the vote recorded in the transcript was to place the architect contract request on the regular agenda so the board could review the architect’s options and schedule a follow‑up work session.
