The graffiti was still legible.
But the splintered paint on the bars and walls of the empty cells were indications the 1960s-era building that once housed the sheriff’s office and jail had stood vacant for some months in the shadows of the three-story Miami County Detention Center across the street. The 96-bed center was dedicated in November 2017.
Miami County commissioners recently toured the old jail as they mulled options for the structure, designed to house 22 inmates. Commissioners discussed several options for the tired building, including renovation for office space or turning it into storage. Another possibility, commissioners said, was to raze the building and turn it into a parking lot to help alleviate a shortage of spaces around the courthouse, created in part by construction of the new detention center.
“We created the problem when we built that jail in our big parking lot,” Commissioner George Pretz said before taking the tour. “Now we need to solve it.”
During a follow-up discussion at the commission’s study session Aug. 29 County Administrator Shane Krull said the building was structurally sound but mechanically obsolete.
(Read more: The Miami County Republic)