On Wednesday, county officials will get their first look at drawings for a women’s jail addition.

County Administrator Brenda Petty said PH&J Architects will present renderings for the new facility after the morning’s county commission meeting.

In June, the commission announced the need for additional space as the current jail is over-capacity in its women’s area. As of Sunday, there were 214 inmates inside the facility – 36 of those women. The current facility is designed to house 24 women.

“There is still most definitely a need,” Sheriff Dennis Meeks said Friday of the additional space. A preliminary description of the project call for a 42-bed, two-cellblock facility with a nurse’s station, washroom and storage area.

“We really haven’t made any progress, per se, on the project because of the holidays,” Meeks said. “We’ll soon have some drawings, and I think things will begin to move then.

“Like I’ve said before, the need for more women’s housing is definitely there,” he said. “We’ll be glad to see the new facility get built.”