USDA to fund Michigan jail restoration

12/6/2011

Sanilac County, Michigan, is hoping to receive its second USDA loan to help fund renovations to its jail, the Port Huron Times Herald reports.

The county received a $5 million USDA Rural Development loan in October 2010 to kickstart the jail project, and will now issue $3 million in bonds to finance additional construction. By applying for a $3 million USDA loan, the department would then be able to purchase the bonds to pay for prison alterations.

"We're going to work with the USDA and see if we can get another $3 million loan to complete the project," board chairman James Bowerman told the news source.

Although costly, the plan will likely correct the safety and health issues the jail has been suffering from. Developers will add a two-story addition to the facility's southwest corner, and also plan to renovate cell block 8.

In all, the initiative will likely cost between $7.5 and $8 million.

According to the Daily Telegram, jail populations in the state have declined in recent years, as there haven't been enough beds to house the influx of inmates and the number of police officers on streets has been reduced.