By EDWARD HUSAR
Herald-Whig Staff Writer

Adams County Board Chairman Mike McLaughlin said more work is needed before a jail study can be completed, with a central question involving whether the county should focus on building a new jail at the current site or off-site.

Finance Committee member John Heidbreder said there is a "substantial amount of disagreement" among a small group of county officials that have been meeting privately in recent months.

Some officials feel it's not practical to build a new jail at the existing site because there's not enough room. McLaughlin said construction there could cause great upheaval at the Adams County Courthouse and eat up most of the existing parking spaces.

"There are just so many things logistically that would cause disruption in services," he said.

He said preliminary surveys conducted by the consultant show there is some support for building a new jail on county-owned property near the Adams County Highway Department and the former youth home near 54th Street, between Broadway and Maine.

"One thing that makes it attractive is we own the property and don't have to spend any money on it," McLaughlin said.

However, one major concern involves the cost and safety factors involved in transporting prisoners from that location to the Courthouse for hearings and trials. McLaughlin feels the transportation issues can be worked out. Others, such as Heidbreder, aren't so sure.

"I cannot picture a remote Adams County Jail, given our situation," he said.

He would like to see the county make use of the Courthouse square property if possible.

Finance Committee Chairman John Johnson agrees. "My first gut is to stay where we are," he said.

One idea that's been discussed is to move the sheriff's department to the new jail at an off-site location. Another idea is to see if the city of Quincy might be interested in joining forces to create a jointly operated law enforcement complex centered around a jail -- an issue that was raised publicly during Quincy's mayoral campaign last spring.

Sheriff Brent Fischer said his biggest concern with the existing jail "is for the safety of our staff." He said the jail -- situated across three floors -- fails to meet handicapped accessibility guidelines and continues to get poor grades from jail inspectors.

McLaughlin said a new jail would cost anywhere from $20 million to $25 million. He doesn't think the county would be able to proceed unless it gets a major state or federal grant.

Heidbreder said the county has "no additional alternative revenue source" to pay for a jail.

"The only way we can pay for a jail is through a bond issue approved by the public," he said.

Even if the county gets a grant to cover 90 percent of the cost, "we would still need a bond issue for the other 10 percent," Heidbreder said.

-- ehusar@whig.com/221-3378