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Report on jail conditions still forthcoming, public meeting to be held
Amanda Purcell is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media Greene County Sheriff Greg Seeley said April 27, county lawmakers may not know for another week whether the existing county jail is safe enough to allow inmates and staff to return. The jail, located at 80 Bridge St. in Catskill, remains shuttered after the building was evacuated more than a week ago on Seeley's order. Jail officers have pointed out the weaknesses in the structural integrity of the historic building, noting cracks in the walls and ceilings, failing pipes and bowing walls on its second floor. A structural engineering firm surveyed the property, but the final results of the inspection will not be available for another week, Seeley said. The sheriff supports a proposal to build a new jail on a site near the Greene Correctional Facility in Coxsackie, at the estimated cost of $51.4 million, an amount that would quadruple the county's existing debt. Many of the people who oppose the Coxsackie project support the idea of sharing jail services with Columbia County. A public meeting will be held 5 p.m., May 2, at the Greene County Office Building, 411 Main St., Catskill, at which time engineers will present the findings on the jail's structural issues and answer questions from members of the Greene County Legislature. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.