MANISTIQUE -- The Schoolcraft County Board of Commissioners is moving forward with jail renovations after a threat of court action from the Department of Corrections.
Renovating the aging facility will cost almost six million dollars.
Developers say the improvements will actually be a lower amount to maintain and will even enhance the property on the county site. They've decided to take a green approach and plan on using geothermal energy.
"This is really about a benefit. This is a benefit, not only to the county, but to the prisoners they hold," said Terry Blanchard of JMB Architecture. "That might sound a little bit on the wrong side, but the reality is that they're still human beings; they still have to be treated as human beings, even if they have done something that they shouldn't do."
Estimated time of completion for the new facility is about twenty months.
The committee also voted to put the bond proposal on the ballot in February.
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