NEWTON — The former Sussex County jail could go to the auction block before summer is out now that county officials have an official appraisal of the five-story building near downtown.
At their May 28 meeting, County Administrator Ron Tappan told the county commissioners that his office had received the appraisal earlier in the week, but he did not reveal any details of the assessment.
When queried following the meeting, Tappan declined to give specifics about the appraisal but said with those documents in hand, a sale of the building at auction is likely to go ahead.
The jail has been closed since 2019, with prisoners arrested by local, county and state police now taken to the Morris County jail under a contract with that facility. Prisoners from local departments destined to be held in a secure facility are transferred to county deputies who then take the prisoner to Morris County.
A game table in a common area of the former Sussex County Jail is seen in this July 2024 file photo. The county plans to sell the building on High Street, which has been mostly vacant since 2019.
The sale of the Sussex jail, known officially as the Keogh-Dwyer Correctional Facility, could be done several ways, but the two most common would be by sealed bids or the method preferred by Tappan, a public auction. Tappan has said he believes the final sale price would be higher after a public auction with multiple bidders, rather than through sealed bids where there is just the one chance to make the highest offer.
Ideas suggested for the property include turning it into office space or a restaurant and boutique hotel.
Before an auction can go ahead, the county needs the Newton Planning Board to approve a subdivision of its property, separating the old jail and part of its parking lot from the rest of the county-owned complex on High Street, which incudes the new courthouse, the historic courthouse and a few houses containing offices, among them the Prosecutor’s Office.
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Gold Star parking program planned
In other news, Commissioner Director Chris Carney said he is working with County Clerk Jeff Parrott on what he called Gold Star parking spots in various public parking areas around the country. The spots are for eligible Gold Star residents, immediate family members of military service members who have died in the line of duty.
As he has with other special programs dealing with veterans and their families, Parrott would register eligible people and vehicles through the County Clerk’s Office with a process similar to a current program where eligible veterans and family can get identify cards for benefits at participating county merchants.
The commissioners also approved an ordinance setting up parking areas at 15 Trinity Place, a former bank building purchased earlier this year to be the new county Board of Elections. With an ordinance in place, Newton police will be able to monitor and ticket illegal parking in the lot.
River Styx bridge study
In his personal report, Carney said that the County Engineers Office has begun the long process for a study of the county-owned River Styx Bridge in Hopatcong. He said the study is appropriate given that the bridge is 75 years old.
Mosquito testing for West Nile
In her report, Commissioner Jill Space said the county’s Mosquito Control Bureau is already collecting mosquitos in traps around the county. Out of 20 pools — mosquitos taken from a single trap — all tested negative for West Nile virus.
Space noted that Warren County has already had a mosquito sample which tested positive for West Nile disease. About 80% of people infected with the virus develop no symptoms, while a small proportion may come down with mild symptoms of fever, body aches, skin rash and swollen lymph nodes.
However, if the virus crosses into the brain, it can cause life-threatening conditions that include inflammation of the brain and spinal cord. The county reported 33 cases of West Nile Virus last year and 29 cases in 2023.
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This article originally appeared on New Jersey Herald: Sussex County may sell old Newton jail this summer after appraisal