PUEBLO COUNTY, Colo. (KOAA) — Pueblo County officials cut the ribbon on a new detention center Thursday, a project designed to address overcrowding and aging infrastructure at the old jail.
The new facility has 672 beds, 150 more than the previous jail, and includes additional space for administration and evidence storage. The facility sits on a 33-acre site, which Sheriff David Lucero said provides room to grow if needed.
"We do have the ability out here if we come close to capacity at 680, that we can then expand on this 33 acres to bring another cell block in and connect it if we needed to," Lucero said.
The new building also gives its team the tools to modernize how corrections are handled.
"We can do more things that we were not able to do it or accomplish in our old structure. So this really gives us those capabilities of what modern corrections are," Lucero said.
Voters approved a tax on marijuana revenue to fund the jail.
The facility is also designed to be zero-net energy, using solar panels to generate as much power as it uses, a move officials say will save taxpayers money for years to come.
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