Marlboro officials planning law enforcement complex

By: Patricia Burkett | SCNow
Published: July 15, 2008

BENNETTSVILLE — Marlboro County Council is moving forward with plans to build new sheriff and magistrate offices for the county.

County officials hope to build the offices on the current site of the Marlboro County Detention Center, which is on Throop Street in Bennettsville.

Council borrowed $1.5 million from the state through a General Obligation bond, a municipal bond that is repaid with general revenue and borrowed funds.

The Marlboro County Sheriff’s Office is putting forth $250,000 toward the project through a grant it received from the state in 2005.

County officials say space is extremely limited in the current sheriff’s office and the need is great for a larger building.

Marlboro County Sheriff Fred Knight said many of his investigators have to share office space. Also, a large amount of evidence is being stored in the building’s hallway because of a lack of an appropriate evidence storage room.

Marlboro County Administrator Cecil Kimrey said the plan for a new building had been in the works for years, but just recently came to fruition.

“I don’t think there’s any question of the need,” he said. “If you look at the existing facilities, they don’t have adequate space for drug storage, for any kind of facilities that you would normally expect to see in a county.”

A preliminary report prepared by an architect as to how much the facility would cost has been completed, but an extensive report hasn’t been done yet, Kimrey said.

It’s not known whether the current amount of available funding would cover the cost of the building, Kimrey said. But he said county officials hope to begin building soon with what funds it has, considering rising construction costs.

Knight said he is reaching out to lawmakers to assist in funding the facility, as well as looking for any additional funding from the state or federal government.

“If we get a new sheriff’s department, I feel like it would help change the image of not only law enforcement, but change the image of Marlboro County, too,” the sheriff said.

County officials chose to put the new offices at the site of the detention center to allow for easier communication and mobility between the agencies, Kimrey said.

Even with a new facility, Knight said the sheriff’s office would most likely keep a substation at the courthouse for security reasons.

Council members are hoping to accept architectural proposals for the site at their next meeting Aug. 10.