Watch CBS News

Fayette County Officials Weigh Building New Prison

CONNELLSVILLE (KDKA) -- Stone walls hide the grim reality of life in the Fayette County Prison.

Robert Herring spent seven months in the prison last year for fleeing and eluding a police officer.

"It's really unlivable. It's inhumane is what it is," said Herring. "Your through the old bars, paint is chipping off, it's absolutely filthy."

The 124-year-old prison has no air conditioning, and inmates sleep on cots because of overcrowding.

The overcrowding is one of many reasons the Fayette county prison board wants to build a new facility.

There are currently 242 inmates at the Fayette County jail; another 77 are being housed out of county. It's a housing solution that has cost the county nearly a million dollars so far this year.

"We are paying rent for something that we could own," said Fayette County Controller Sean Lally.

The firm Crabtree and Rorhbach prepared a needs assessment, detailing the options to the prison board.

If no action is taken, the prison will have an annual operating budget of $11.3 million. If the current prison is renovated and expanded, the cost drops to $10.4 million.

Building a new prison will cost the county just $8.3 million per year.

"Because a new facility is so much more cost effective, more efficient, we can actually save money over what we're doing right now," said Al Ambrosini, the Fayette County Commissioner.

The roughly $30 million facility would be built on a 20-acre plot behind the Fayette County Fairgrounds. The cost supplemented by money from Marcellus Shale and the casino.

The public will get a chance to sound off at four hearings, the first of which takes place tonight at Penn State Fayette.

RELATED LINKS:
More Fayette County News
More Reports by Trina Orlando

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.