Grayson County jail expansion advances; October finish unverified

By GvilleTX Newsroom

Grayson County’s jail expansion in Sherman would increase inmate capacity by 166, with a construction price of about $30.9 million before changes, according to contractor SEDALCO and the county’s construction amendment. A county payment record documents work during summer 2026, but the available primary records do not confirm an October completion date.

SEDALCO’s project description puts the addition at 27,000 square feet, with cells for shared occupancy and isolation. The contractor also lists improvements to the existing jail’s kitchen and showers, plus loading-dock renovations, making the work broader than an increase in housing capacity.

Commissioners authorized $946,187.80 for July construction services on August 25, 2026, according to the county meeting record. That approval documents continued construction during the summer; it does not establish how close the project was to completion.

The November 2024 amendment gives the contractor 674 calendar days from November 13, 2024, to reach substantial completion, with authorized schedule adjustments permitted. Those terms do not establish an updated October deadline.

An earlier Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation registration carries a February 1, 2026, completion date. That registration entry is not confirmation that construction ended then, and it does not verify the later October target.

The county’s construction commitment and its borrowing carry separate financial obligations. The November 12, 2024, amendment sets the guaranteed maximum construction price at $30,872,639, while allowing changes through change orders. It also identifies a separate $40,000 preconstruction fee.

Repayment obligations extend into the next decade. The county’s October 2023 debt schedule shows annual payments on the jail-expansion debt increasing from roughly $2.45 million in fiscal 2028 to $3.59 million in fiscal 2029. The schedule lists payments through fiscal 2033.

Housing inmates elsewhere also has a documented cost. Fannin County Public Facility Corporation reported about $144,000 in revenue from housing Grayson County inmates for the year ending September 30, 2025, according to its financial statements. That accounting records an existing expense associated with outside housing; it does not establish how much the expansion might save.

The project’s contractual history began more than two years before the groundbreaking announcement. The county amendment identifies September 27, 2022, as the date of the underlying construction-manager-at-risk agreement. SEDALCO announced the groundbreaking on December 23, 2024.

State records also document an earlier Grayson County jail addition registered in 2011. The licensing agency’s entry now lists that project registration as closed.