LANCASTER, Ohio (AP) — Tests of soil to gauge possible contamination could help settle a debate over
where to locate a new jail to replace a chronically overcrowded facility in southeastern Ohio.
The new Fairfield County Jail will cost at least $30 million and will replace three old and overcrowded
buildings that often flunk state inspections.
The Columbus Dispatch reports Monday that county commissioners expect results this week of testing of
soil conditions at a proposed site close to courts and lawyers’ offices in downtown Lancaster.
Officials hope the results answer questions about soil stability and possible contamination leftover from
a 19th-century slaughterhouse, tannery and other industries.
Some want the jail built farther out of Lancaster on undeveloped land near the current multicounty
juvenile detention center.LANCASTER, Ohio (AP) — Tests of soil to gauge possible contamination could
help settle a debate over where to locate a new jail to replace a chronically overcrowded facility in
southeastern Ohio.
The new Fairfield County Jail will cost at least $30 million and will replace three old and overcrowded
buildings that often flunk state inspections.
The Columbus Dispatch reports Monday that county commissioners expect results this week of testing of
soil conditions at a proposed site close to courts and lawyers’ offices in downtown Lancaster.
Officials hope the results answer questions about soil stability and possible contamination leftover from
a 19th-century slaughterhouse, tannery and other industries.
Some want the jail built farther out of Lancaster on undeveloped land near the current multicounty
juvenile detention center.