Macon requests design proposals for jail upgrades. What will they feature?
Macon-Bibb County began its search for architectural design proposals of an expanded jail Tuesday, which must pass a range of standards amid aging and unsafe conditions at the current facility.
A new Bibb County Law Enforcement Center will still be built, and land has already been purchased for it, but upgrades to the current jail will come first, according to Macon-Bibb County Mayor Lester Miller.
“Having a new jail right now is not going to solve the problem,” Miller said at a press conference Tuesday. “If you don’t address some of these issues in a brand new jail, you’ll have the same (issues).”
The upgraded jail design must bolster safety and health conditions by expanding its infirmary and segregated areas for high-risk individuals, according to a public solicitation document issued Tuesday.
“The design concepts submitted should include a 100- to 150-bed facility, including segregated areas for maximum security offenders, mental health offenders, and a health care unit,” the document said.
All architectural proposals must also prioritize a “humane environment” and be inclusive of people with disabilities, according to the solicitation record.
The jail will be decked with surveillance cameras, alarms and access control systems with “tampering resistance and durability,” the requirements said.
The interior of its current facility will also be remodeled.
More beds needed at jail
There were 1,018 people detained in the Bibb County Jail system as of Tuesday, Miller said, but the facility only has 966 beds, according to the document.
The main jail between Hawthorne and Oglethorpe streets holds 744 beds, and an additional 12 in its infirmary. The detention center at 645 Hazel St. holds 192 beds.
Miller said he hopes the new infirmary will have “at least 25 more beds for those that are not getting out of jail and have some mental illness challenges.”
The new structures will expand into Hawthorne Street, and the James F. Higgins Memorial Complex at 651 Hazel St. will be demolished, according to the solicitation document.
“The sheriff is supportive of this,” Miller said. “He’s been a partner of ours on this from the very beginning, and we’ll let him drive the train.”
Architectural requirements
Architectural firms must have a staff member with at least five years of experience designing criminal detention centers in order to submit design drawings for the upgraded jail, according to the public solicitation document.
The Bibb County’s Procurement Department will accept proposals until noon on Thursday, June 26.
The names of the firms will be publicly read at 2 p.m. that day in the Procurement Department’s conference room at City Hall, 700 Poplar St., Suite 308.
Those chosen to move onto Phase Two of the architectural selection process will visit the jail and discuss plans with officials from the county, and the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office, which runs the jail.
The county will plan costs of these proposed updates in about three to four months, Miller said. Then the County Commission will vote to approve it and allocate funds to start updating the jail.
“The most immediate thing that we can do to act very swiftly is to make sure we look at doing an expansion on the current premises,” Miller said.
This story was originally published June 11, 2025 at 6:00 AM.
