CALHOUN COUNTY, Mich. (NEWSCHANNEL 3) – A long-standing eyesore in the Calhoun County community is coming down.

Workers are tearing down the old Calhoun County Jail, in Marshall.

Sheriff’s deputies moved back into part of the building in 1998, for what was supposed to be a temporary stay.

Instead, they spent 15 years there, until a wind storm blew through in 2013.

The Calhoun County Land Bank, which is managing the project, works to reduce blight in the county.

The space will be used to provide additional parking for the county building.

“Jails depreciate at three times faster than a normal office building, so forty years at that facility it was open as a jail, and the next 14 as our law enforcement center,” said Calhoun County Sheriff Matt Saxton. “It wasn’t a real nice place to work in, so it is good to see it coming down. I’m thankful for our, the support of the county and our citizens for the Marshall Regional Law Enforcement Center, and that the deputies at the sheriff’s office do have a place to call home.”

The Marshall Regional Law Enforcement Center opened last September. It now houses the Sheriff’s Office, Michigan State Police, and Marshall Police.

The jail demolition project is expected to take a few weeks.

Source: WWMT