Miami County Sheriff’s Department officials have the go-ahead to reopen part of the county Incarceration Facility, but it will be awhile before the jail north of Troy is ready to house prisoners.

The 240-bed facility has been empty since the end of 2009 when it was closed and employees laid off as part of county budget reductions.

The closing left the county with a 110-bed jail built in the 1970s at the sheriff’s office in downtown Troy. The jail has been at or exceeding capacity for months and at times closed to additional inmates.

Among the tasks required to reopen is the hiring of up to 10 correction officers to help staff two of the facility’s four pods, each that holds 60 people.

‘We are moving forward as quickly as possible, however, it is going to take time,” Chief Deputy Dave Duchak said. He estimates at least one pod for prisoners could be open by spring.

A correction officer test has been given and an eligibility list is ready. The hiring process was to begin this week, Duchak said.

The first appointments of new employees will come after the first of the year because of budget requirements, he said.

The cost to open and run the Incarceration Facility in addition to the cost already incurred to run the downtown jail was estimated this summer at $1.6 million.

The county commissioners in recent weeks have approved projects associated with the reopening preparations.

Among them was an agreement with Mills Fence Co. of Cincinnati to install, at a cost of nearly $9,000, stainless steel razor ribbon at the basketball court fence and outer fence perimeter.

Cotterman Roofing was hired to do repairs to the roof at the building, constructed in the late 1990s. A maximum of $40,749 was approved for that work.

Commissioner Richard Cultice, who has been working with the sheriff’s office on the reopening plans, said the roof project needed to be done to make way for other re-opening preparations.

Commission President John “Bud” O’Brien noted that particular area of the roof has had leaking problems since the facility’s early day. The county worked with a roof consultant on exploring solutions in hopes of finding a long-term fix, he said.