Jail rebuilding after 2023 tornado slow; juvenile facility reopens

Reconstruction of the Dallas County Jail after its destruction in the January 2023 tornado has been slow, but the juvenile facility next door has reopened. 

Since taking a direct hit in the EF-2 tornado, the county’s adult inmates have been sent to other jails all over Alabama, with 70 being housed at the Perry County facility in Uniontown through an agreement with the State of Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Paroles. 

The Perry County agreement bought the county time to deal with the insurance company and properly rebuild the facility that was built in the 1950s, said Probate Judge and Dallas County Commission Chair Jimmy Nunn. 

“I think when we get finished with it, we’ll be pleased,” Nunn said.  

Dallas County Sheriff Mike Granthum said the deal also saves them time and money with the shorter trips taking inmates back to Dallas County for trials and hearings than from across the state. 

The part of the Dallas County Jail that houses the Dallas County Juvenile Detention Center is back to being “100 percent functional,” Nunn said, and all the juveniles have been brought back to the center from locations around the state.  

“Work is now progressing on the Perry Varner Boot Camp,” Nunn said. “They should be nearing completion on it soon.” 

It will be a while before the adult lockup is ready, he said. Although the sheriff is in charge of the inmates, the jail building is owned by the county, so the County Commission makes decisions regarding the jail building, with input from the sheriff. 

Getting more time from the agreement to keep inmates in Perry County gives the county time to deal with the insurance company and cost increases for the rebuild, Nunn said. 

“The county is still going back and forth with the insurance company,” Nunn said. “Early on, we hired Townsend Law LLC. Our attorneys are trying to get as much as they can from the insurance company. We should be in a better condition than what it was.”  

The jail’s thick walls stood up to the storm, but the roof was heavily damaged. Water poured into the jail, damaging everything electronic, including the cameras and door controls.   

Nunn reported that the repairs on the roof are underway and nearing completion. At the March 11 County Commission meeting, a resolution was approved to allow South East Switchgear to install test equipment “so that they can test different components in the jail such as the HVAC, the lighting and the motors that run the doors,” Nunn said.  

Once the roof is complete, most of the work will be inside.  

“We still haven’t bid out the work for the inside,” Nunn said. “All of the materials, lighting, electrical, painting, replacing ceiling tiles and floors – all of that has to be put out for bid.” 

Then there’s the issue of how long it will take to get the materials. “Some parts and materials will be about a year out,” Nunn said. “That’s why we can’t say it’s going to be six months or a year (for the jail to reopen). We just don’t know.”  

Nunn said the county will continue to negotiate with the insurance carrier because “we need to be made whole.” The county also wants to make sure they get the job done right the first time.