Oconee County Reviewing Proposal To Demolish Old Jail And Expand Courthouse In Watkinsville

Oconee County commissioners are considering a plan to tear down the old, unused jail tucked at the rear of the existing Courthouse in Watkinsville and to build an addition to the Courthouse where the old jail now sits.

Oconee County Board of Commissioners Chairman John Daniell announced the proposal at the end of a Town Hall Meeting held by the Commissioners Thursday night at the Community Center in Veterans Park.

Eighteen people other than the commissioners attended the meeting, which covered a range of topics, including the Animal Shelter, Mars Hill Road, the proposed widening of U.S. 441, and the possibility of a property tax rollback.

Daniell told the group that the commissioners have not reached agreement on what to do to address county space needs long term but that a proposal to build an addition where the old jails sits was offered by a group studying Courthouse security and is now under consideration.

For more on the story, and a complete video of the Town Hall Meeting, go to Oconee County Observations.

Pictured: Old Jail.