The Baxter County Detention Center is getting an upgrade.
The detention center, located in Mountain Home, is getting a 50-bed expansion this fall. Officials have held a ceremonial groundbreaking, clearing the way for the expansion’s construction to begin.
A temporary one-cent sales-tax campaign is currently ongoing to fund the estimated $4.2 million expansion. In addition to the temporary tax, which is ongoing until April, a permanent quarter percent sales tax will be implemented to fund the jail’s regular operation.
According to the Baxter Bulletin, the temporary tax was designed to capitalize on the summertime revenue generated by visitors to the Twin Lakes region. The sales tax has already generated $1.2 million, according to the newspaper.
Construction on the project is estimated to take approximately a year. There are 19 specific contracts for the expansion, and Baxter County officials have already accepted 13 bids. The remaining six contracts were opened to bid on Aug. 15.
The Baxter County Detention Center currently has 100 beds, which will be increased by 50 with the new expansion.
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