Construction on the new Dallas County Law Enforcement Center is entering the final stretch, with work expected to be wrapped up in the next 3-4 months.

Sheriff Chad Leonard says the facility is starting to resemble all the conceptual renderings presented to the public prior to the approval of the $23.9 million bond referendum. He points out that construction has progressed relatively quickly lately, in spite of unforeseen delays. “They did have some hiccups in the process, with all the rain and stuff early on. That did slow things down, but they’re back going to it every day. I know the jail is getting to the part where they’re going to put the roof on it here soon. And the windows and doors and all that kind of stuff are getting installed, and they’re about done. So we’re still optimistic hoping for the end of the year to get moved in, and it should be pretty close (to) about that time frame.”

Leonard says once the facility is sealed off, the next step will be to install the electrical and plumbing systems. He adds, the construction site is both secure and under video surveillance after several reported burglaries around Memorial Day, and says there haven’t been any thefts reported since. As for the financials of the building, following the most recent pay application in the amount of $709,556.93, around 69% of the total project cost has been paid. The Samuels Group also reported that there is currently around $240,000 in the contingency funds.

To learn more about the project, listen to yesterday and today’s Perry Fareway Let’s Talk Dallas County programs at RaccoonValleyRadio.com.