Doniphan County Jail Construction Making Progress

Commissioner J.D. Euler said the $3 million project is progressing so well that the building will be closed in soon, allowing interior work to begin by mid-June. The commission met May 13 to hear an update on the construction. AHRS Construction Inc. of Bern, Kan., is the contractor.

Sheriff Jerry Dubach said the new jail has been free of problems and remains on schedule. Workers focused on parts of the exterior Friday morning.

"October's what they're talking about," he said. "It's still depending on lots of things."

Ground was broken on the facility last October, on the site of former downtown buildings that were demolished last summer. Plans for the new jail began more than five years ago.

Male and female dayrooms, an activity area, and medical exam rooms are included in the layout. County officials are researching the option of housing prisoners for the U.S. Marshals Service and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Elsewhere in the region, Grundy County officials have celebrated the recent opening of a new law enforcement center in Trenton.

Sheriff Rodney Herring said the jail, located at Sixth and Main streets, began receiving county inmates April 1. The Trenton Police Department is a tenant in the building and occupied its space in late March. The co-educational jail features 14 cells and 28 beds. Construction began about 1 1/2 years ago and was funded by a law enforcement sales tax that voters passed in 2005.

"It's great," Mr. Herring said. "I smile every day I have to work. We've come out of the Dark Ages."

The county hired and trained six detention officers to go along with the move. Problems with inmates have yet to be reported. The fate of the former Grundy County Jail, which opened in 1905, remains undecided.

Late fire official honored

The memory of a former Grundy County fire chief - who helped develop a statewide regimen for firefighter training - now rests in a memorial in central Missouri.

Phil Sayer was among officials who helped the Firefighters Association of Missouri create a memorial for fallen and deceased brethren at Kingdom City in Callaway County. His name was included this weekend among the ranks of fire officials who died in the past year. A candlelight service that featured a display of Mr. Sayer's photo and memorials added to Distinguished Service Wall were included in the ceremony.

Mr. Sayer, who died in December at 67, was the founder and longtime chief of the Galt Fire Protection District. He often spent time lobbying for state funding to train firefighters and for 25 years was the adjunct trainer for the Missouri Fire and Rescue Training Institute.

Earhart bridge reopens

The Amelia Earhart Memorial Bridge in Atchison, Kan., reopened to all traffic Friday ahead of schedule, upon the completion of deck repairs.

The original date for finishing the work was mid-June, officials said. Traffic was reduced to one lane across the bridge. Some painting underneath the deck will occur early next week, but will not impact traffic.

Engineers with the Kansas Department of Transportation determined that repairs were needed after inspections earlier this spring. The project will enable the bridge to remain open when construction of a new four-lane bridge begins next year. The new bridge is expected to be finished in the fall of 2011.

Region reporter Ray Scherer can be reached

at rscherer@npgco.com.