Vigo County announced Tuesday that the former county jail at 201 Cherry St. will undergo demolition later this week or early next week.
Commissioner Chris Switzer posted on Facebook that demolition was anticipated to begin between Thanksgiving and Christmas, but weather and underground utility relocation set the project back about two weeks.
He added that the Indiana Department of Environmental Management has been alerted to the demolition plans and removing waste per EPA guidelines has been completed. A demolition permit has been secured, and erosion control is in place.
Interior soft demolition involving flammable items has been completed, all utilities have been disconnected, and a perimeter fence has been installed.
Switzer said he’ll also notify the public before demolition begins.
Vigo County decided in March 2024 to demolish the old jail at a cost of about $4.5 million.
Commissioner Mark Clinkebeard about that time said repurposing the building would cost 20% more than constructing a new building. He added that converting it, for example, to office space would cost between $30 and $40 million.
Maintaining the jail required $45,000 annually for insurance, and utility bills for the building set the county back about $130,000 a year, even though it is empty.
Clinkenbeard, Switzer and Commissioner Mike Morris walked reporters through the vacant jail last spring.
Many ceiling panels sported water damage and the kitchen sinks, shower areas and drinking fountains were all rife with mold. The jail’s intake area was strewn with trash and was routinely the most flooded portion of the building.
In the basement the former dispatch room felt cramped even though it was empty. A white board affixed to a wall read a countdown created by dispatchers — “Days left in the dungeon,” it read. Walls and floors contained huge cracks throughout the building. Graffiti dotted the walls of the jail cells.
Holding onto the building “just doesn’t really make a lot of sense,” Clinkenbeard said during the jail tour.
The new Vigo County Jail, 600 Honey Creek Drive, was opened in 2022 with an inmate capacity of over 400.
Although the new jail is less than three years old, it’s already in need of reinforcements when it comes to inmate beds. County officials are now considering a new work release/diversion center
Vigo County for years had limped along with an outdated and overcrowded jail, and a lawsuit was filed in 2016 by a group of inmates alleging deprivation of constitutional rights.
In 2018, U.S. District Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson ruled conditions were indeed unconstitutional, and she required the county to provide updates to her court on jail populations, conditions and staffing.
In August 2018, the Vigo County Council approved an increase of the county’s local income tax to 2% from 1.25%, largely to fund the new jail. Construction of the new jail began in December 2019, with a budget of about $67 million.
Although the lawsuit was settled, Judge Magnus-Stinson has continued to monitor the situation at the new jail. In April 2024, the county told the court that commissioners had contracted with two firms for plans for a proposed 200 to 250 bed work release and diversion center.