Becker County moves closer to building jail

DETROIT LAKES -- After months of talk and trying to decide the next move, Becker County is now taking an “as soon as possible” move toward building a new jail.
“We are ready to move forward on the jail again,” Administrator Jack Ingstad said this week during the Becker County Board meeting.
Last year, the current jail was given deficiency marks and the county board has been discussing options since then, including building a new facility, adding an extra floor to the existing jail or housing inmates in a different county.
Most of the commissioners and Ingstad have toured the Kanabec County jail near Lake Mille Lacs and all agree that it’s a design they want for Becker County. They also mostly agree it should be built in the new industrial park in Detroit Lakes.
Ingstad said that he has done as much research on location, financing and design as he could without further direction from the board and that a timetable needed to be set. The board agreed they wanted to move forward quickly, possibly breaking ground in 2016. Ingstad, though, said he could get the project started this year. The county would hold public meetings regarding the jail before a final decision is made.