County Judge Jody Fauley addressed the citizens last Friday to keep everyone up to date on what is happening with our county jail, the 'Oldest Working Jail in the U.S.' He also wanted to quell any rumors that might be going around.
Here is the message straight from Judge Fauley: Good afternoon, San Saba County.
I am thankful for the mild, wet summer that God has blessed us with.
I wanted to address what is happening with our jail facility. I've heard rumors that we are building a jail or that jail standards shut the facility down. Those are both highly inaccurate.
On Monday, we were notified of a potential issue with the plumbing under the building which could result in a leak of methane gas. A plumber tested the lines and did find traces of a leak. After discussions with two plumbers, it was determined that to fix the leak or to stop it from becoming more than the trace levels, it will require extensive plumbing repair. With the building being historical, a replumb of the facility will be a long project.
The sheriff has temporarily vacated the inmates from the building. With concern that the leak will grow and could be a harm to people in the building, and after many hours of research and planning, the Commissioners Court voted to move dispatch out of the facility. That process is currently underway. Once all of the dispatch equipment is out of the facility, which requires coordination with several statewide government entities, the facility as a whole will be temporarily vacated.
Our FIRST priority is making sure our employees have a safe place to do their job. Once that is complete, we will begin researching options to repair the facility.
To recap, we are temporarily vacating the jail building in an abundance of caution for the health of our employees and inmates. The Commission on Jail Standards did not have any role in this decision.
There are no plans to build a new facility or new jail.
We are continuing to make arrests. We will continue housing inmates in other counties as we have done for several years.
If you have concerns or questions or would like to determine validity of any rumor you are hearing, feel free to contact my office.
God bless and have a great day,
Judge Jody Fauley
As Judge Fauley mentioned at the end of his address, all services will go on as usual. There will still be arrests. Dispatch will still be available for 911 calls and for law enforcement personnel.
If an individual has a plumbing leak at home, they either try to fix it themselves, or call a plumber to come fix the problem.
However, things are different with our San Saba County Jail.
We brag about having the 'Oldest Working Jail in the U.S.' However, as Judge Fauley mentioned, having a 'historical building' means you have to take a slightly different route when some changes are made to the building, even plumbing changes.
We are truly blessed to have our leadership in Judge Fauley and with our San Saba County Commissioners. They want to get the job done and get it done right – even if that means many extra hours of planning and researching on their part.
And as seen last Friday, they also want to be transparent with the public as they do the work of San Saba County.
When you see Judge Fauley or the County Commissioners, tell them you appreciate all the work they do for San Saba County!
Commissioners: James Lebow – Pct.1
Mike Poe – Pct. 2
Kenley Kroll – Pct. 3
Greg McGregor – Pct. 4