Officials break ground on new Iron County Jail, sheriff’s complex

Written by Jeff Richards
August 18, 2024

CEDAR CITY — Officials broke ground on Iron County’s new sheriff’s complex and correctional facility on Friday.

Iron County Commissioners Mike Bleak, Paul Cozzens and Marilyn Wood listen to a speaker’s remarks during the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Iron County Sheriff’s complex and correctional facility, Cedar City, Utah, Aug. 16, 2024 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

“This is a day that many didn’t think would happen, but here we are,” said Iron County Commissioner Marilyn Wood as she welcomed the crowd of about 100 people gathered at the vacant 33.5-acre site located within an industrial area south of Cedar City Regional Airport.

“Through hard work, perseverance and dedication, hard, and maybe impossible, things can happen,” Wood added.

Fellow Iron County Commissioner Mike Bleak then spoke of his experiences with the current Iron County Jail, which first opened 37 years ago. Bleak, who has had a lengthy career in law enforcement, said when he was first elected as county commissioner several years ago, he was approached by then-Sheriff Mark Gower.

“(He) reached out and asked if I’d support the idea of a new jail,” Bleak said. “I hadn’t given it much thought, even though I had spent quality time there over the years. I quickly became a supporter as I looked at that facility through the eyes of an elected official that had the responsibility to worry about the maintenance, the upkeep and the liability that went along with that facility, more (so) than the police officer that I had been coming through those doors.”

Bleak said the new jail complex will be a “state of the art” facility.

Iron County Commissioner Paul Cozzens prepares to use an excavator to turn over the first shovelful of dirt for the new Iron County Sheriff’s complex and correctional facility, Cedar City, Utah, Aug. 16, 2024 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

“We’ll be able to safely house those that need to be here for years to come,” he said. “We’ll be able to operate under a new model of educating and providing opportunities for our inmates to learn and grow as people. It will reduce our recidivism and impact our community in a positive manner.”

Added Bleak: “I really look forward to standing right here in a couple of years and cutting the ribbon on this new facility. It’s going to be a great benefit to our county for years to come.”

Ed Deffner of Layton Construction and Rob Cottle of Babcock Design each took a few minutes to talk about the project.

“There’s many hands that come into a construction project, so we’re looking forward to working with everybody as we endeavor together,” Deffner said.

Cottle spoke of the underlying purpose of correctional facilities.

“If our goal as architects and designers is to make the world a better place, how better could you do that than to provide something to a community which makes it safer, benefits its economy and becomes a place that will employ and support a number of the members of the community?” Cottle said.

Iron County Sheriff Ken Carpenter then spoke, saying that the groundbreaking ceremony was taking place on a special day for him personally.

“Today marks my 20th anniversary of serving the citizens of Iron County with either Cedar City Police Department, Parowan City or Iron County,” Carpenter said. “So, to have this groundbreaking on this day brings extra special emphasis to me.”

Carpenter said that when he first ran for Iron County Sheriff, he realized the need for a new jail was of paramount importance.

“It’s been a very tough, tough fight to get through that,” he said, adding, “I think for most people that are informed about the needs of a new facility, that it’s important to them because they realize that it’s important for the safety and the future growth of our community.”

Iron County Sheriff Ken Carpneter speaks during the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Iron County Sheriff’s complex and correctional facility, Cedar City, Utah, Aug. 16, 2024 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

Carpenter said that Iron County surpassed neighboring Washington County in growth this past year.

“That’s really saying something is Washington County has led the nation in growth in the past five years,” he added. “One of the things that is exciting but also a little bit scary, is that we’re going to become the new St. George and the new Washington County. We have to be prepared for the future. The sheriff’s complex and jail facility is going to help us to be prepared.”

Shortly after Carpenter’s remarks, Iron County Commissioner Paul Cozzens spoke briefly, noting that he had done some of the work on the current jail more than three decades ago.

‘I started my cabinet business in August of 1987 and I installed the cabinets in the old jail, the current jail. That was the last job I did before I started my company,” Cozzens said. “And while our company will not be bidding on this project because of a conflict of interest, we would like to let the press know, to get the word out, we want as many local contractors and subcontractors as possible to work on this project as we can.”

Iron County Jail officials wearing hard hats prepare to take up shovels to break ground for the new Iron County Sheriff’s complex and correctional facility, Cedar City, Utah, Aug. 16, 2024 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

Local workers are encouraged to submit bid packages as they become available through Layton Construction, he said.

Cozzens then climbed up into the seat of a brand-new excavator which had been donated by Wheeler Machinery and started it up.

“Somebody promised me they called Blue Stakes, so I won’t pull up a big fiber optic cable when I take a scoop of dirt,” he noted, shortly before sending the excavator’s gold-painted bucket into the ground and scooping out a large chunk of earth.

Shortly thereafter, the commissioners joined other elected officials, law enforcement officers and others involved with the project in donning hard hats and using conventional hand shovels to dig in and turn over a ceremonial scoop while posing for photos.

As previously reported, much of the money to pay for the construction of the new jail facility is coming from a 0.3% sales tax increase passed by the Iron County Commission in late March, taking advantage of an option that was made possible via state legislation passed earlier that same month. The transportation measure known as House Bill 488, Transportation Spending Modifications, permits rural counties to impose such a tax for public safety purposes. Iron County’s sales tax increase went into effect on July 1.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2024, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jeff Richards, a native of Salt Lake City with family roots in Panguitch, lived in Moab for 20 years before joining St. George News in 2017. Jeff is a longtime journalist and secondary school teacher. He and his wife Penny are the parents of five daughters. They also have three young grandsons and one granddaughter. Jeff and his family enjoy swimming, camping, sightseeing, reading, and taking pictures.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @stgnews@moabjeff@stgnewssports

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