The request for demolition contractors is now in motion as Saline County officials prepare to look over a number of bids to raze the old jail.

Saline County Administrator Phillip Smith-Hanes joined in on the KSAL Morning News Extra with a look at a number of topics including the destruction of the former Saline County Jail. Smith-Hanes says the price tag to bulldoze the facility is estimated at around $1.2 million dollars.

Following a recent downtown facilities study, commissioners set a number of priorities to improve county offices and help centralize staff members.

Officials are also considering the old jail site for new construction – that in time could be transformed into a new Health Department office complex. Back in 2024, the City of Salina and Saline County teamed up with Treanor HL and Olsson Studios to assess some of the buildings around town that are either underused, overcrowded or just aging. The new jail opened in the late Fall of 2023.