Van Zandt County Commissioners approve $150k jail design, discuss other options

TYLER, Texas (KLTV) - East Texas commissioners met today to discuss designs for something that many law enforcement agencies have had to deal with: aging jails and offices.

Listening intently to the Van Zandt County Commissioners Court meeting, was Sheriff Joe Carter, waiting for a specific item to come up.

"Item number nine: discuss and consider authorizing county judge to sign a contract with Burns Architecture LLC for potential jail design," said Van Zandt County Judge Andy Reese.

Commissioners approved the item for $150,000 initial design of a new jail, while also continuing to explore expansion and renovation as possibilities.

Built in 1992, the Van Zandt County jail, justice center and sheriff's office has become obsolete, with cramped conditions across the board becoming the norm.

"Yes sir! We're out of office space administratively over there, record storage too," Carter said.

He said he had experienced the same problems before the construction in 1992.

"I came here in '89, and we were still putting people in jail here at the courthouse," Carter says.

He also said the issue is exacerbated by the growth expanding from the metroplex.

"We've been kind of insulated here for a long time, being as close to Dallas as we are," Carter said. "Growth started to come this way, went north, went south for the immediate cities. Now it's sprawling out this way."

The answer, he believes, is to expand on the current site.

"A lot of room over there, a lot of land to expand," Carter said. "We're looking at it long term."