Christian County Sheriff's building to start renovation soon

Aug 12, 2023

TAYLORVILLE, Ill. (WAND) — The Christian County Sheriff's Building currently holds local and federal inmates, as well as administrative offices and the investigative and patrol divisions.

The building was constructed in 1975 and Chief Deputy Jim Baker says they have been struggling to keep up with maintenance issues like leaky ceilings and outdated plumbing. Last year, Christian County Sheriff Bruce Kettelkamp formed an advisory committee to determine how to address infrastructure issues.

"They looked at all the options for the Sheriff's Office itself, and what we could do to address some of the deteriorating infrastructure issues, as well as the capacity and liability issues," said Baker.

The priorities of the renovations include safety, capacity, and comfort.

In regards to safety, the renovations will focus on fire suppression systems and emergency exits in specific areas. The renovations will make it easier for employees in the building to do their jobs instead of focusing on temporary fixes.

"There's just multiple items—toilets, sinks, things of that nature—that whether it's flushing valves, gaskets, the lime within the water that has deteriorated some of the flushing system of the plumbing and a lot of the building was built with copper lines that have limed up too," said Baker.

Baker said the first area focused on will be the roof, with other construction happening in phases so inmates can stay inside the building during the construction.

The 2.1 million dollar renovation was approved and funded by the Christian County board and remaining ARPA funds. Renovation is expected to start soon with construction continuing through the late fall.

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