Commissioners argue over repairs for Old Jail
A divided Young County Commissioners Court voted 3-2 to spend about $4,000 to fix broken water pipes in the vacant Old Jail while historians come up with a plan to utilize the 101-year-old state historic landmark in Graham’s town square.
Commissioners Jimmy Wiley of Precinct 4 and Stacy Creswell of Precinct 1 voted against the proposal, arguing that the county should not spend public money on the jail until a master plan for the building is completed.
“Nobody’s using it,” Creswell said. “If we fix it and there’s no heat and cooling it’s going to turn around and bust again.”
Judge John Bullock tabled the utility repairs at the Court’s June 13 meeting because Commissioner Matt Pruitt of Precinct 2, who usually votes to preserve the jail, was absent.
The issue was revived two weeks later, when Pruitt, Commissioner Stacey Rogers of Precinct 3 and Bullock were on hand to support the expenditure over the objections of Creswell and Wiley.
The red-brick, three-story Old Jail was slated for demolition to make way for a pavilion to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the city of Graham. The commissioners were about to consider transferring ownership of the building to the city at a meeting in late January, when the Young County Historical Commission stepped in to save it.
The jail, designed by Dallas architect C.H. Leinback and built in 1921, was recognized as a recorded Texas Historic Landmark by the Texas Historical Commission in 2020. Last year, the nonprofit group Preservation declared the building one of the most endangered historic sites in the state.
The county historical commission is competing for a $20,000 state matching grant to explore the costs and process for preserving the jail - a so-called master plan. It now sits vacant, and needs repairs to its electrical and plumbing systems. It had to have its roof replaced when it was used as a women’s shelter - a cost covered by the county and its insurers.
Wiley and Creswell argued county taxpayers should not fund the renovations, and Wiley said the county historical group must partner with a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization to legally collect money for the project.
“They can’t receive or solicit money or donations,” he said. “Everything that has been done has been done shadily. If it can’t be done forthrightly it shouldn’t be done at all.”
Wiley also argued that the repairs to the water pipes open the door to more spending of taxpayer funds. “Once you fix the water you’ve got to check out the drains, and anywhere you had a P-trap or that held water is going to be [broken],” he said. “You don’t need water upstairs – that’s just another way to have a problem.”
Rogers, whose precinct encompasses Olney and Newcastle, said the Old Jail is a county asset that is worth preserving. “It’s true that the building has been unoccupied for the last couple of years but the last tenants and the county have worked on the windows and put a new roof on. The building has value according to the insurance rider. The small amount spent on water issues will allow the new tenant to occupy and make updates on the structure. The county has a group willing to take on this challenge and will also promote Young County history. I will vote to allow a group or groups to use the building with minimal expenses incurred to the county.”