New county public safety center complete

     The new Winnebago County Public Safety Center in Forest City is now complete, and the sheriff’s department hosted tours of the facility on Saturday, June 3. There was a long line of people waiting to see the building throughout the afternoon.

     Sheriff Dave Peterson and his deputies and staff, along with building designer John Hanson, gave guided tours to groups of about 10 people at a time. Construction on the 15,000 square foot facility took just over a year, with the groundbreaking held on May 7, 2016. The building was funded through a $4.6 million bond issue.

     The new public safety center features a 40-bed jail, which will also be used to accommodate inmates from Hancock County. Winnebago County’s current jail has just nine beds, while Hancock County’s jail has about a dozen beds. Winnebago County Supervisor Bill Jensvold says they expect to bring in upwards of $100,000 in revenue per year by housing Hancock County inmates, which will help to pay for the facility.

     See full story in the June 14 edition of the Tribune.