Sheriff Craig Webre announced construction has officially begun on a new jail facility in Thibodaux. A groundbreaking ceremony was held at the site of the new jail at 9 a.m. on Saturday, June 18. Several public officials, as well as the current jail staff, were on hand to ceremoniously begin construction of the Lafourche Parish Correctional Complex, located at the corner of LA Highway 3185 and Veterans Boulevard in Thibodaux, directly across from the existing jail.
“Today is truly a historical day for Lafourche Parish,” said Sheriff Webre. “After years of studies, meetings, consultations and planning, we finally arrived to the realization of building a new, efficient, and safe corrections facility for our community.”
The Lafourche Parish Correctional Complex will be constructed directly across Veterans Boulevard from the existing jail property. This stretch of land is a portion of the 42 acres purchased for the project in 2015. While the jail will not stretch over the entire 42 acres, the property was unable to be subdivided for sale.
The team of GraceHebert Architects and Duplantis Design Group Team is in the process of designing the Lafourche Parish Correctional Complex. GraceHebert, based in Baton Rouge, has designed over 200 justice projects over the past 45 years including, most recently, the new prison in Orleans Parish. Duplantis Design Group, headquartered in Thibodaux, has completed hundreds of engineering and architecture projects across South Louisiana. GraceHebert Architects and Duplantis Design Group recently partnered together to complete the new Terrebonne Parish Juvenile Detention Center.
Yates Construction is contracted as the Construction Manager at Risk for the project. Utilizing this new method for a public works project entails a commitment by the construction manager to deliver the project within a specified cost through working with the architect to ensure the design fulfills the needs of the facility.
The groundbreaking ceremony was the first in a series of events Saturday for the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office. July 1 marks the beginning of Sheriff Craig Webre’s seventh term of office and 25th year as Sheriff of Lafourche Parish. To celebrate this silver anniversary, the groundbreaking was the first in a series of events Saturday for the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office employees. Following the groundbreaking, Sheriff Webre was sworn in to his seventh term during a private ceremony at Thibodaux High School. He then, in turn, issued the oath of office to all deputies and employees, with the exception of those on duty who will be sworn in at a later date. Following the swear in ceremony, employees and their families gathered for food and fun at the Thibodaux Firemen’s Fairgrounds.