The Davidson County Jail Committee yesterday crossed two contenders off its list of possible sites for a new jail in Lexington, narrowing the number of possible sites to four.
The 12-member committee voted during its meeting to eliminate a site on Old Linwood Road and one on the Swing Dairy property on U.S. Highway 64.
Members of the committee listened to the pros and cons of the possible locations, examining such criteria as terrain, proximity to the courts, potential for future expansion and how well a jail would fit into the neighborhood.
"There is no such thing as the ‘perfect site,'" said Dwayne Childress, the county purchasing director, who presented the results.
Brian Shipwash, a member of the committee and the Davidson County Clerk of Court, recommended removing the Linwood site because he felt it would be better used for industrial development. The Swing Dairy property was eliminated because of its uneven terrain and location in a flood plain.
The remaining contenders are the old Lexington Home Brands No. 1 plant off South Main Street, the former Stanley Furniture building on West Center Street, an area near Finch Park, and an expansion of the existing jail on West Center Street.
The committee will do more research on those sites and look for other possible locations.
It plans to meet again in about a month.
■ Tim Clodfelter can be reached at 727-7371 or at tclodfelter@wsjournal.com.
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