VALLEY CITY, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – The 110 year old Barnes County jail was inspected by the state last month.

Sheriff Randy McClaflin said a structural engineer looked at the building as well as other state inspectors. The inspection included environmental issues like asbestos, lead paint and mold. He said there is no mold in the building and there were no issues with asbestos or lead paint.

However, the state said due to the age of the facility and layout of the building for security issues the county was given one year to decide whether or not to repair or renovate the existing facility or build a new one.

Barnes County Commissioners said a number of questions need to be and answered before the county can move forward with any proposal.

The first of many meeting was held February 6th to discuss what options should be explored. Law enforcement representatives from LaMoure, Ransom and Steele counties asked about what the estimated cost would be to build a new jail and the cost share ratio for their respective counties. Some thought it was important to keep the jail in Barnes County to save on the high cost of transporting prisons to other facilities further away.

Barnes County Commissioners believe public input is needed to help decide which option is best. They say more public input meetings will be schedule in the weeks and months ahead.