The Wood County Justice Center on East Gypsy Lane, which currently houses 139 inmates, is looking to expand its horizons.

Sheriff Mark Wasylyshyn, who oversees the jail, said he and other justice center officials have been working on this expansion since 2005.

The 149-bed jail has been forced to send inmates to facilities in surrounding counties as a result of state recommendations.

Captain Ronda Gibson, the jail administrator, said the 28-year-old jail is now filled to 95 to 100 percent of its capacity, despite the state’s recommendation that the jail be no more than 85 percent full.

“We’re a little behind the ball already,” Gibson said.

Before deciding to expand, Wasylyshyn said administrators looked at other options, but expansion seemed to be the only choice.

But enlarging the jail’s capacity is not their only goal.

Gibson said they hope to boost the number of beds to 200. She also said they’re looking to enhance the medical center, the booking area where new inmates come in, and the holding cells used for new inmates and people who need special supervision, like inmates on suicide watch.

“We’re looking to better accommodate [the inmates’] needs,” Gibson said.

Ignoring the fact that the justice center is not up to par with state capacity regulations, Gibson said the building’s conditions are not terrible.

“The facility itself is in good shape,” she said.

As for when Wood County residents will see an expansion of the justice center, it depends on the needs assessment of the community.

Wasylyshyn said they should receive the needs assessment within the next four months, but the process of adding onto the jail will not launch immediately, either.

“The next step would be to see if we like what we see,” Wasylyshyn said.

If everything goes well with the needs assessment, Wasylyshyn said the county will hire an architect to design the addition to the jail, which could take another six to eight months.

“It would be about 12 to 14 months before we break ground,” he said.

Another question lingering in Wood County citizens’ minds is how much this renovation will cost.

Wasylyshyn assured citizens that there will not be any new taxes or levies. Instead, the addition will be funded by the county commissioners.

Final estimates are expected within a couple months, said James Carter, president of the Wood County Commissioners.