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New jail in the works for Bibb, Commission approves several land purchases for potential facility

Mayor Lester Miller and Sheriff David Davis agree the county needs a new jail.

MACON, Ga. — A new jail is in the works for Macon-Bibb County.

The Bibb Commission approved several land purchases on Tuesday, including several on lower Poplar Street.

Mayor Lester Miller says that area, south of downtown, is likely their proposed jail site.

Miller and Sheriff David Davis agree the county needs a new jail.

They've spent millions in the past couple years to improve security and safety problems at the current jail on Oglethorpe Street.

Just last month, commissioners allocated $2 million from the sheriff's office commissary fund to go toward updating the locks on the oldest cells in the  Bibb County Law Enforcement Center.

They signed the project into action on April 16, the six-month anniversary of Marc Anderson, Joey Fournier, Chavis Stokes and Johnifer Barnwell escaping from the Law Enforcement Center.

In the weeks following the Oct. 16 jail escape prompting a month-long manhunt, Davis partially blamed malfunctioning locks. He spoke frequently about damage at the jail, including damage from inmates.

Davis said another part of the $2 million fund will go toward general repairs for the jail. 

However, Sheriff Davis says the improvements in the last few months are just band aids.

So far, the county hasn't officially designated lower Poplar Street as the site, and there's no time table for when that might happen.

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