Isabella Prison construction almost three-quarters complete – The Morning Sun

Isabella County Sheriff Michael Main is in the area that will be the lobby of the new jail and sheriff's office expected to be operational by mid-January. (Photo by Sue Knickerbocker Field).

Walking down a bare, empty hallway at the under-construction Isabella County Jail, Sheriff Michael Main pointed out what will be the administrative wing, a future armory and highway patrol room.

Along other corridors, there will be offices for an animal control officer, the county K9 unit, evidence processing, lockers, the detective bureau, conference rooms and specialized areas for computer crime investigations which will be made available to other law enforcement agencies in Isabella County. a fingerprint room, a file clerk room and other spaces in areas designed to be secure.

In the holding areas of the facility, which is funded by a $41 million low-interest loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, there will be video and in-person visitation areas , a queue window, a main control area and a dormitory. -style and smaller cells.

Replacing the current jail and sheriff's office in downtown Mt. Pleasant, built in the 1950s and added in the 1970s, has been in the works for years.

With cement floors and cinder block walls, the jail and sheriff's office, which should be operational by mid-January, are about 70 percent complete.

Now that the structural work is almost complete, workers will begin finishing touches like flooring, wiring and painting.