As you enjoy all sorts of music at the Jimmie Rodgers Festival in coming days, keep an eye out for Lauderdale County supervisors or their close associates, and perhaps urge them to step up their “conversation” about the future of the county’s rundown jail.

 

As in, consideration of moving it far away from the heart of downtown, where it sits on Main Street/Fifth Street across from the historic Ulmer building and near other attractions. The supervisors, to their credit, have signaled they are willing to turn over the blighted Ulmer property to the Jimmie Rodgers Foundation so that, after restoration, it could become the Rodgers museum’s new home.

 

But building a new jail will cost many millions, and supervisors are leery of anything that may force a tax increase. So the powers that be are patching up the rusting, barbed wire-laced compound, opened in 1998, and mostly avoiding public discussion of the matter.

 

Sheriff Ward Calhoun notes that the jail, with a 280-inmate capacity, houses “the worst of the worst,” and increasingly needs major maintenance. He understands the money dilemma, the complexity of planning a new jail. “We need to start having these conversations and look at the factual information,” he said.

 

Meridian Main Street Director Matt Schanrock, who serves on the Jimmie Rodgers board, said, “As we continue revitalization efforts I welcome the conversation about moving the jail out of downtown.”

 

Even if it brings fiscal and political discomfort, the jail issue should have moved beyond talk by now. The Detention Center is clearly an obstacle to momentum in Meridian’s, and Lauderdale County’s, promising cultural district. Museums and other attractions there are critical to a local tourism sector that, according to Visit Meridian reports, is directly or indirectly responsible for more than 3,400 jobs.

 

Grand jurors have long been concerned about jail conditions. In August 2024, a county Grand Jury noted it had toured the Detention Center “and found it in need of updates and repairs. Water leaks have caused damage to the floors which have been repaired with steel plates. This is causing the floors to rust and be sticky. The sprinklers in the ceiling were corroded and the ceiling tiles need to be replaced.” They urged the Board of Supervisors to “begin planning for the building of a new detention facility.”

 

Other points to consider: Significant spending to patch up an outdated jail can be viewed as wasteful, and the jail diminishes prospects for redevelopment of the former Lamar Hotel building next door. This distinctive landmark could house apartments and condos, helping to build a strong residential base downtown.

 

And is anyone concerned that some of the “worst of the worst” may one day break out and cause havoc and harm downtown? Doesn’t the greater good call for placing the jail close to woods and farmland and goats, away from the business center?

 

Board of Supervisors President J.J. Anders said this week that “everyone would benefit” from moving the jail but that the county first needs to see steady revenue from a planned data center project. “That may be three years, that may be 13 years,” he said.

 

District 4 Supervisor Joe Norwood said more thinking must be done on how the next jail will meet the demands of mental health detainees along with criminal inmates. “Until we get to the point of deciding how we’re going to build a jail, I’m not in favor of it,” he said.

 

It all strikes me as more talk than serious planning. A sense of urgency and leadership is badly needed.

 

Warner is a veteran journalist and cultural historian, and can be contacted at legacypress.warner@gmail.com.