KDSN RADIO News
Demolition of former Delaware County Jail underway
The old Delaware County Jail is coming down. In 2019, Delaware County voters approved a bond issue for a new jail, and that facility opened in mid-2021. The demolition of the vacant jail, which started Monday, is part of a larger project that will include a two-story addition on the east side of the county’s courthouse.
Delaware County Supervisor Shirley Helmrichs said the old jail is unsafe. “Part of the building has been there a long time. The old jailer’s house and the connecting wall with the jail, we’ve had architects look at it and they said: ‘You could try to remodel, but it’s going to cost you more,’ and the wall between the two buildings — it’s cracked. There’s not much holding it together,” Helmrichs said.
The jail’s demolition, along with the addition to the Delaware County Courthouse, is projected to cost between $5 million and $6 million. The county treasurer’s office and auditor’s office will move into the addition. Helmrichs said it will improve accessibility to those offices. “We watched those west steps, and there are too many near trips and falls on a daily basis,” Helmrichs said. “All the offices have a lot of traffic, but (for the) auditor’s and treasurer’s (office) it’s just a steadier crowd that come in and renew things and get passports.”
The Delaware County Courthouse in Manchester was built in 1894 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
(By Janelle Tucker, KMCH, Manchester)
