Men's dorms at the Zanesville City Jail renovated

ZANESVILLE — A year-long remodel of the men's dorms at the Zanesville City Jail has been completed, but the city is running low on staff to oversee it.

The city is accepting applicants for correction officer positions at the jail. Interested parties can apply by visiting the Governmentjobs.com website and searching Zanesville. 

More:Jobs with the City of Zanesville

The jail, despite being built in 1994, is a clean and safe environment to work in, said Jail Administrator Chad Smith. G&M Construction of Zanesville recently completed a remodel of the men's dorms, including new floors, ceilings and bathroom fixtures.

"It was long overdue," Smith said. A new metal ceiling has replaced a tile ceiling which had been damaged by inmates. "As fast as you would fix it, it would get damaged," said Public Safety Director Doug Merry. The new ceiling includes dimmable LED lights. 

A new laminate floor has been laid, waterproof to accompany the new stainless steel shower, sink and toilet installed in each dorm. The work totaled about $194,000, Merry said.

"It was work that needed to be done over the years, but was put on the back burner," said Smith, who for the project to help the city pass its annual inspection by the Bureau of Adult Detention. While the bureau doesn't have the power to shut down the jail because of a bad score, a bad score could raise insurance rates for the city, Smith said. The city has scored well on its inspections, he added, with the only knock being a lack of work release which simply can't be accommodated because of the design of the jail, he said.

The city worked with the courts to defer inmates so they could shut down the dorms one at at time to complete the project. The Bureau of Adult detention kept a close eye on the project, doing frequent inspections as the work progressed, Smith said.

The final part of the project are windows, which are on order.

Now the city needs help staffing the jail. "We are not bare-boned, but we are down some staff," Smith said. Normally the city has 22 correction officers, right now there are only 12. "We can't afford to lose any more," he said. The city has closed the women's dorm, instead sending female prisoners to the county jail because of a lack of staff to oversee the dorm.

The job offers benefits, including medical, dental and vision insurance, and retirement through the OPERS system, The Ohio Public Employee Retirement System.

Correction officers get a lot of vacation time as well, starting out with four weeks after six months on the job, Smith said.

"We want people who want to build a career," Smith said. "It is not an easy job, it can be challenging at time," Smith said, but it is a good job.

It is a good starting point for people who want to get into law enforcement, Merry said, noting that officers in all branches of the ZPD, from administration to evidence and the detective bureau, got their start at the city jail. "You learn how to deal with people, and meeting the people you deal with on the street," he said.

Candidates should be able to deal with stress, but be compassionate and able to deal with difficult people, Merry said. The position is open to those 18 years old and older. After the application process, applicants are able to job shadow to get an understanding of the position. The application process closes on July 10. The process involves passing written and physical tests.

ccrook@gannett.com

740-868-3708

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