DeKalb County is planning to expand the county jail in order to create more space for more people.

According to Roger Scott, sheriff and member of the ad hoc jail planning committee, the project will cost approximately $27 million.

The reason for the expansion is because of lack of space. The facility has only 89 beds and they cannot turn away any new inmates. Since they must take in whomever the state requires, they are then forced to export prisoners to other facilities, which costs about $1 million a year. It would be more economically feasible in the long run to just have more beds for more inmates, said County Administrator Ray Bockman.

“The expansion will add core facilities and housing units,” Bockman said. “Core facilities, such as kitchen and laundry space, and meeting rooms will be built to service this addition as well as future additions. The exact number and type of beds/housing units is yet to be determined.”

Construction is scheduled to start in April 2014 and will hopefully be completed by August of 2015, Bockman said.

Sycamore Mayor Ken Mundy said the expansion will be good for Sycamore.

“It is very important to the city of Sycamore,” Mundy said. “Sycamore has been the county seat since 1840. We have received a lot of economic benefit because of the county courthouse, jail and offices. They are an economic engine to the city of Sycamore and we are very pleased that the county has chosen to expand both the courthouse and the jail in our downtown.”

Some of the specifics surrounding the jail expansion are still up for debate. According to Bockman, whether the current facility will be expanded upon or whether they will build an entirely new building is being discussed as well as how the project will be phased.

The project will be designed by PSA-Dewberry, an architecture firm based out of Elgin, Illinois.