Now that the Dunbar Drive property has been selected as the site for a new Pike County Jail, the commission’s next step will be selecting an architect.

Chairman Robin Sullivan said the commission’s consultant, TCU Consulting Services, will be handling the architect selection process and that there is no solid timeline yet for how long that will take.

“TCU will go through the applications and an interviewing process and bring us back a recommendation,” Sullivan said. “I imagine it will take some time. But that’s the next step for us. I don’t think we can move forward with anything else until we have an architect in place.”

Sullivan said the county is still waiting to officially purchase the Dunbar property as well, as the Troy Housing Authority continues the process of relocating the residents still living there.

There will be at least 90 days before the county can take over the site and begin demolition to prepare for the new jail’s construction.

The facility will include more than a jail, Sullivan confirmed.

The commission had discussed various versions of “jail complexes” to be built if the new jail was built offsite.

“We intend to build a complex,” Sullivan said. “The sheriff and his office will definitely be out there. We don’t know how that’s going to be laid out yet, but it will be out there. We’ll also be moving the circuit clerk’s office and the court system.”

The plan, Sullivan said, would allow for other county offices to move into the existing courthouse instead of being housed in rental spaces.

Sullivan said that could possibly include the Pike County Commission office and possibly even the Pike County Extension Office. The commission has also discussed designing the new facility to house juveniles and adding storage space for voting machines at the new facility or the courthouse.

Tags and license procedures would remain in the courthouse.