SIOUX CITY — A big day is at hand.
After many long years of construction delays, a new Woodbury County Law Enforcement Center will be open for the public to come see some sections on September 18.
People will be able to see parts of the new jail and courtrooms that are in the building along 28th Street on the northeast side of Sioux City.
Throughout much of the 2010’s, many Woodbury County Board of Supervisors meetings were taken up with the topic of the repair needs of the downtown Sioux City jail and courtroom building.
The decision by the county supervisors eventually was made to give up pursuing costly repairs and to instead develop plans for a new jail.
That was followed by a $54 Million public bond issue vote placed before Woodbury County voters only one week before the brunt of the coronavirus pandemic hit Siouxland in March 2020.
Cost overruns and delays took place, and the jail is now projected to cost $70 million. Eventually the county and other entities picked lawyers to defend actions and perhaps seek damages related to financial downsides that came along with the delays.
But some better news is at hand, as the tasks of moving into the new jail building are underway.
For this episode of What’s The Frequency, we hear from two guests who are highly steeped in the details of getting the jail open. And they are back for a second time this year to discuss the jail, with Matthew Ung and Mark Nelson, of the Woodbury County Board of Supervisors.
They discuss the long road to today, how the September 18 open house will go, what parts of the building will be first used, and how a decision will be made on legal action that could be pursued.
*Click on the audio link above to hear the entire show.
What's The Frequency, Episode 33
