We return again to that pesky jail...

Ah, yes, the jail.

I haven't been following the official news too closely, but it did come up in conversation somehow the last time I was at my parents' house in the county, specifically regarding the fact that Ambrosini is now the only commissioner in favor of the project. And by happenstance, an e-mail from reader/informant Marybeth trickled in a few days later, who recently toured the current jail.

Experts would probably know better, but the existing jail doesn't seem to be so horrible that we need a new one, especially with the hassle it's become. Don't get me wrong, the jail looks pretty terrible in pictures Marybeth passed along, but I'm not sure it's the kind of damage that warrants a whole new building. The powers that be claim repairs would be too expensive...yet a new, $50 million jail is apparently super affordable.

From the e-mail:

ALL I noted was purposeful neglect!! YEP...the jail is NO FALLING APART and beyond repair..not at all. THE roof had leaked so often....that they never repaired the ceiling...cause" it will just happen again" YEP...that's whatr the asshole guards told me when i asked why the pipe was showing and the mold/rust all around "it"....uhh...when it rains, it will just leak all over again..."...

WHY not repair the roof again? Uhh.there's no money. 

SO....they proudly showed me the light fixture dripping water into the white bucket.....it has rained that morning....and I said, "well...isn't that a potentinal fire hazard or electrical issuer? Uggg....we can't stop it.

Actually, this kind of reminds me of the time my dad insisted my uncle's house was a death trap that should be condemned and I was just like, "Nothing some cleaning supplies and power tools won't fix."

Now, at this point, people questioning/disapproving of the jail is nothing new, and I'm sure our commissioners are pretty sick of it. But in the midst of it all, a plausible conspiracy theory has emerged--that the damage to the existing jail is due to intentional neglect, and I'm told everyone who spoke at the commissioners' meeting last week referenced the damage as neglect.

From that pesky meeting

Of course, if it is neglect, I guess we can assume it was done to get a new jail built...and at this point, the only supporter left standing is pretty much Ambrosini. Personally, obvious potentially intentional damage aside, I'm curious as to why he wants a new jail so bad. It certainly seems like some sort of personal agenda right now rather than a safety concern or money issue, and what I find the most personally disappointing is that a new commissioner seemed so promising.

Stay tuned, because I'm sure this isn't the end of the saga...