SCOTT COUNTY CONSIDERS LEASING NEW JAIL

A Sikeston construction company owner has offered to build a jail and lease it to Scott County.

The Scott County Commission met behind closed doors for an hour and a half Tuesday with Kenneth Bridger, owner of Bridger Construction Co.; Sheriff Bill Ferrell and architect Bob Stearnes.

Presiding Commissioner Bob Kielhofner described the meeting in Sikeston as a brainstorming session. They talked about prisoner capacity, building location, and building a sheriff's office, he said.

The building would be a dormitory-style medium-security jail, Kielhofner said. About 60 additional beds would be added to house a total of 100 prisoners.

In addition to building a jail, a sheriff's office would be built. The jail would have a kitchen and a room where lawyers could meet with clients. The sheriff's office would be alongside the jail, he said.

The existing sheriff's office likely would be demolished but the existing jail, built in 1933, would remain.

The county is still trying to decide if this proposal is the right way to go, Kielhofner said.

Tuesday's meeting was closed because it included discussions of possible real estate purchases, Kielhofner said. But he admitted no purchases of land were discussed because the land where a jail would be built is already owned by the county.

No prior notice of a closed meeting was given. Under Missouri law, government officials must cite a specific section of the law when voting to close a meeting.

Jean Mencke, a lawyer for the Missouri Press Association, said government bodies must state the specific purposes of a closed meeting. "They can't talk about other issues or the reason for closing the meeting is no longer valid," she said.

In this instance, the county could have legally closed the meeting for discussion of either a real estate purchase or sale or specifications for bidding. Kielhofner admitted a closed meeting notice should have been posted before the meeting took place but was not.