(Radio Iowa) – The old Delaware County Jail is coming down. In 2019, Delaware County voters approved a bond issue for a new jail and that facility opened in mid-2021. The demolition of the vacant jail, which started Monday, is part of a larger project that will include a two-story addition on the east side of the county’s courthouse. Delaware County Supervisor Shirley Helmrichs says old the jail is unsafe.

“Part of the building has been there a long time. The old jailer’s house and the connecting wall with the jail, we’ve had architects look at it and they said: ‘You could try to remodel, but it’s going to cost you more,’ and the wall between the two buildings — it’s cracked. There’s not much holding it together,” she said. The jail’s demolition along with the addition to the Delaware County Courthouse is projected to cost between five and six million dollars.

The county treasurer’s office and auditor’s office will move into the addition. Helmrichs says it will improve accessibility to those offices. “We watched those west steps and there are too many near trips and falls on a daily basis,” Helmrichs says. “All the offices have a lot of traffic, but (for the) auditor’s and treasurer’s (office) it’s just a steadier crowd that come in and renew things and get passports.”

The Delaware County Courthouse in Manchester was built in 1894 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.