INDEPENDENCE -- Members of the Buchanan County Sheriff's Department say their old jail is falling apart around them.

In some places, that's not too far from the truth. In the kitchen area, a roof leak has caused some of the concrete and plaster walls to slowly disintegrate. The holes get patched back up each year, then come right back.

It's not the only problem. Cramped hallways, outdated electrical systems and poor plumbing have plagued detention officers and county officials over the years.

"It's like trying to bail out a boat with too many holes," said Jail Administrator Russell West. "You're going to sink sooner or later."

Relief may be in sight after Tuesday. Buchanan County residents will be asked again to approve $4.5 million in bonds for a new jail and law enforcement center. The proposed 17,000-square-foot facility located south of the Buchanan County Courthouse is intended to replace the 67-year-old jail, located on the third floor of the courthouse.

A previous bond in November failed to garner the 60 percent needed to pass. This time, proponents have a better feeling about the chances of the bond. A 12-member committee spent its time after November visiting with various community groups, from the Rotary to the Lion's Club and the senior center, to drum up support for another bond. They also have continued tours of the facility, which seems to be the best campaign tool, Supervisor Ellen Gaffney said.

Many people involved with the last bond said a factor that affected the outcome was the announcement by the Independence School Board of a $10.8 million bond election for a new high school on Oct. 12, less than a month before the initial bond election. Some voters tied the two together in their minds, Gaffney said.

"We had a couple of big issues at the time, and some people did do a correlation, which there really isn't," she said.

County officials have faced increasing pressure from Mike Richardson, the state jail inspector, and fire inspectors to find a way to fix or replace the aging jail facility. In January, Richardson downgraded the capacity from 25 to 17 inmates because of repeated code violations. Inspectors pointed to the outdated plumbing, heating and electrical systems as some of the problems.

West said the electrical system, which was installed when the jail was built, is bad enough that a fuse is blown when they run more than two toasters and a microwave in the jail's kitchen while making meals for the inmates.

Jail committee members investigated a number of options to either replace or repair the jail prior to the first bond proposal. Some of those options, such as renovating the old county home outside of Independence or remodeling the jail, were too expensive, Gaffney said. Another alternative, outsourcing inmates to another county, also proved to be cost-prohibitive.

The committee decided to build a new facility that would meet their needs far into the future.

"We didn't really change our plans because we're confident the jail as proposed is really what we need to be comfortable with for our inmates for the next 20 years," Gaffney said.

Another jail open house is scheduled from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday. For more information, go to www.buchananjail.com.

Contact Josh Nelson at (319) 291-1565 or josh.nelson@wcfcourier.com.