Cullman County officials and members of the local law enforcement community joined together in an historic event recently, breaking ground on a new
$12.5 million county correctional facility.
     Some preliminary groundwork had already been done at the Beech Avenue site in southeast Cullman prior to the official ceremony, which took place Wednesday, September 3, 2003.
    According to officials, the new 236-bed facility, which will also house a 10-bed juvenile detention center, will be completed in 16 months and will replace the outdated and overcrowded Cullman County Jail that was built in 1964.
    The building will also be upgradeable, its construction lending itself to expansion far better than its predecessor, which was unable in recent years to keep up with the county's growing population.
    Officials from local law enforcement, the county judicial system and the County Commission took the podium to express their pleasure that the much-needed project has finally come to pass through the support of the Cullman County citizens and the combined efforts of  local officials.

    "This is a great day. I'm very excited about the possibilities for law enforcement in this county," said Sheriff Tyler Roden. "I appreciate the county commissioners so much for allowing us to be involved in this process. I also appreciate Lt. (Brian) Buegler, who has been involved in running the current facility for close to 25 years."

    "This is a historic occasion for this county," said County Commission Chairman Norman Tucker. "It's never happened this way before: everyone here is a part of this jail ... of this coming to pass. I would like for everyone in this county to feel a part of this.
    "There is incentive for this jail to be perfect ... to be beautiful...and strong enough to hold prisoners, because this jail committee was born and raised in Cullman County," Tucker said. "It's unique that it's going to be completely built by Cullman County people, and, folks, I think we ought to be proud of that."
    Chairman Tucker specifically thanked members of the jail committee who worked to plan and implement the project, including members of the state legislative delegation, former associate commissioners Faye Whisenant and Robert Harbison, and current commissioners Stanley Yarbrough and Wiley Kitchens. He also recognized and thanked Miles Creel of CLA Architecture of Birmingham, the firm behind the jail's design, and Fred Craft of Craft and Associates, the Cullman County contracting firm that will construct the facility.

    Following the ceremony, Chairman Norman Tucker said he would again like to thank the citizens of Cullman County for their support of the jail project.
    "The people are for this project. I have not had one complaint about the location, about the building of the jail or the juvenile detention center ... no negative feedback at all, which is pretty amazing," Tucker said. "The people even voted to put in a small amount of court fees to help with the cost."
    County Administrator Gary Teichmiller explained that the majority of the funding for the construction of the jail is being obtained through a bond issue.
    "It's just going to be a good project," Teichmiller said. "The new jail will be able to house more prisoners, it will be safer for the people who work there as well as for the prisoners. And we're being proactive as opposed to reactive in building it."
    "We're building this of our own accord, not under a federal judge's orders," Tucker said. "That's saying a mouthful."

    County Attorney Perry Knight also spoke at the ceremony, stating that the citizens of Cullman County "are to be applauded for their support of this project."