LEFT TO RIGHT: PAUL CHASTANT, BROADDUS & ASSOCIATES; WILL PENDER, ADOLFSON & PETERSON; LEE GILBERT, ROCKWALL COUNTY COMMISSIONER; JANET NICHOL, ROCKWALL COUNTY COMMISSIONER; DAVID SWEET, ROCKWALL COUNTY JUDGE; SHERIFF HAROLD EAVENSON, FORMER ROCKWALL COUNTY SHERIFF (RETIRED); SHERIFF TERRY GARRETT, ROCKWALL COUNTY SHERIFF; SHIRLEY MANGESS, WIFE OF THE LATE DAVID MAGNESS, ROCKWALL COUNTY COMMISSIONER; CLIFF SEVIER, ROCKWALL COUNTY COMMISSIONER; DENNIS BAILEY, ROCKWALL COUNTY COMMISSIONER; DARRELL STELLING, DLR GROUP; GARY RETEL, DLR GROUP; CHRIS GETZ, DLR GROUP; VINCE YAUGER, BROADDUS & ASSOCIATES
Adolfson & Peterson Construction (AP), Broaddus & Associates, DLR Group and Rockwall County gathered to commemorate their collective work in making additions to the Rockwall County Jail during a dedication ceremony held March 8.
The Rockwall County Jail received an 82,943-square-foot expansion, adding 204 new beds to the current 240-bed residency, ultimately increasing to 444 beds. The development includes a new civil infrastructure with direct and indirect supervision in two-story cell housing units, and new intake, visitation, kitchen, laundry and medical and mental health facilities. In addition to the facility’s new spaces, Rockwall County Jail now houses features to increase overall wellbeing, efficiency and safety. Renovation work is underway for the facility’s east and west wings, as well as the Rockwall County Sherriff’s office and will be open for occupancy in mid-April.
New negative pressure rooms allow for COVID-positive inmates to be quarantined while simultaneously avoiding cross contamination throughout the population. Technology in the large control center enhances security and monitoring in all jail areas. The kitchen was constructed for food to be prepared on-site by inmates or staff, creating healthier, more cost-efficient meals. Additionally, the new medical area offers dental work, blood work and mental health services to enable inmates to become healthy citizens.
The ceremonial ribbon cutting, led by Sherriff Garrett, took place in the facility’s lobby, with the project team and the city’s commissioners, current and former sheriffs, majors and captains in attendance. During the ceremony, a Dedication Certificate was presented to Sheriff Garrett by state representative Justin Holland to commemorate the occasion and extensive collaborative efforts made to bring this project to fruition. The Mayor of Rockwall, Kevin Fowler, and multiple officials from surrounding counties attended the dedication where representatives from Broaddus & Associates, DLR Group and AP spoke to the project’s progressions and achievements.