Beauregard Parish police jurors toured the parish jail this week for an in-person update on the extensive repairs being done at the facility.

While the completion is still months away, jurors were able to observe work being performed on the showers inside the jails — where plumbing issues had been noted by state inspections — as well as repairs to light fixtures and electrical systems throughout the complex.

Cell doors have been removed while crews wait for replacements to arrive, but officials noted manufacturing and shipping delays are a constant concern during the process.

“All in all things are moving pretty quickly, but our biggest concern remains the freight and transportation issues that are being felt everywhere right now,” Police Juror Jeffery Meadows said.

Meadows is the chairman of the police jury’s jail advisory committee, and he said this week’s tour assured jurors that they had made the right call in voting to relocate the jail’s entire population amid the repairs.

“There is a clear and definite advantage to having the inmates out right now while this work is done. I know it comes at a cost, but I do believe we made the right call there,” Meadows said.

Jurors are hopeful the work at the jail will be completed by June. In January, jurors approved paying an estimated $150,000 to house inmates in jails out of the area for the duration of the work. Coupled with the repair figures, total costs for the work is expected to cost the parish about $350,000.

That price tag could have been much higher, but Meadows acknowledged assistance from state senator Mike Reese and Sheriff Mark Herford in securing $680,000 in state funding to cover the costs of the jail doors and locking mechanisms.

While the final figures might sound concerning to the community and taxpayers, Meadows said the work was unavoidable.

“We were going to get shut down. We had to make these repairs, that’s how serious things were getting. And I know it’s a lot of money, but I think if more people saw the figures on what we were already spending on jail repairs throughout the year, I think they would understand,” Meadows said.

Even before the repairs, the parish was already paying fees to house female inmates in other facilities due to the Beauregard jail being at maximum capacity nearly at all times.

Meadows estimated that the jail was housing over 210 inmates, and that jurors acknowledge those figures cannot last much longer given the size of the present facility.

“Our next step is to begin holding talks of building a new jail in maybe the next 10 years. It’s a tough conversation to have as far as funding is concerned, but we know that we have to find a way to make it work. It’s inevitable,” Meadows said.

While jurors have talked for years about the need for a new jail, funding and location have been the two largest hurdles that have stalled those conversations.

Now, with funds available through the American Rescue Act, Meadows believes the parish has its best chance at securing the funding.

“We now have access to funds that we didn’t before, and we have mentioned capital outlay funds or even a new millage tax. Those are all the options that we have before us to consider, but of course we have many talks ahead of us on this. I know people don’t want to pay another tax, but this is going to be unavoidable in the next few years,” he said.

Meadows said that he and other jurors intend to include Herford in those talks, and that so far Herford has been receptive to their invitations.

“Sheriff Herford has been very open to communicating with us and we have worked very well with him during this process,” Meadows said.

Regardless of the timeframe, Meadows said that the biggest concern will be assuring the people of the parish that the police jury’s main goal is to ultimately save the parish money.

“I know sometimes it doesn’t make sense and it might seem like we are spending money that we necessarily shouldn’t, but that’s really not the case. We want people to understand that we really are doing our best,” he said.