New jail contract approved

Alcorn County Supervisors formally approved a new contract for architectural work on the county's new regional jail and justice complex and named a replacement for a member of the county's airport board killed in an October plane crash during their mid-month meeting on Monday.
Board members voted to approve a contract between the county and Michael W. LeBlanc Architects for design and planning services for the justice complex to be constructed on Harper Road between the National Guard Armory and the county's juvenile justice center.
LeBlanc is the brother and business partner of the jail's original architect Pat LeBlanc, who was killed in a plane crash earlier this year. Board Attorney Robert Krohn said the new contract is identical to the one originally signed by the county for work on the project, except that it formally changes the name of the architect of record.
The board, along with law enforcement and other officials who will be using the new facility, are scheduled to receive an update on design work on the justice center from the architects and consultant Irb Benjamin in a meeting on Thursday.
The complex will include space to house state inmates under a contract with the Mississippi Department of Corrections as an MDOC regional jail, along with housing for county and city prisoners and offices for the Alcorn County Sheriff's Department, Corinth Police Department, Corinth Alcorn County E-911 and Alcorn County Emergency Management Agency. It will also include a courtroom and office space for Alcorn County Justice Court and Corinth City Court.
The cost of the jail will be paid through bonds that will be issued and paid off using funds from the MDOC contract for housing state prisoners and a lease agreement between the city and county for use of office space for CPD and city court and housing of city prisoners.
The board also voted unanimously Monday to appoint William A. Bell to the Corinth/Alcorn County Airport Board of Directors. Bell will fill the unexpired term of the late Leroy Hopkins, which runs through April 2009. Hopkins was killed last month in a small plane crash in McNairy County.
In other business, the board approved an application for a $675,000 grant from the Mississippi Development Authority's Developmental Infrastructure Program for Ayrshire Electronics (formerly ACT) for upgrades to the facility. If approved by MDA, the grant would not require any matching funds from the county.