MUNISING — In four months from now, things will be looking a whole lot different at the Alger County Jail. Officials with the jail held a ceremonial groundbreaking today to signify upgrades that are coming to the jail.

Construction crews began renovating the jail last week. The project is expected to cost $1.1 million won’t cost Alger County taxpayers a dime.

The Alger County Jail will partner with Luce County in housing half of their inmates once the renovations are complete.

“We started digging footings on Tuesday of last week,” said Gundlach Champion President Jim Ebli, “this week we put some concrete in the ground and we’re starting to get our interior footings poured and we’ll be moving to the exterior walls shortly.”

Currently, the jail has 28 beds. That will be nearly doubled with the addition of 22 more beds to the facility. Other improvements will be noticeable as well.

“When someone is arrested they’re going to be able to drive into the sally port into a locked facility, and come in right from our sally port to the jail, so it’s improved our safety,” said Alger County Undersheriff Todd Brock, “with our transport of our inmates. The expansion of our control room will give us more room, more space, and more ability to monitor the entire facility from that one central pod.”

In total roughly thirty two hundred square feet will be added. The project is expected to be completed on October first.