SAVING SELMA: Dallas County Jail Reconstruction Makes Progress

From the West Alabama Newsroom –

Work continues to progress on the Dallas County Jail rebuild as the first phase of the project nears completion.

The prison was one of several buildings destroyed in January 2023 when an EF-2 tornado struck Selma.

The tornado ripped off the roof of the building and caused major water damage inside.

The first stage of the facility’s reconstruction process is almost complete.

“They’re almost done with the roof, they’ve been working on it for over two months now. Once we get it, as they call it, dried out so that no more water can get in and so on, they’ll start working on the interior,” Sheriff Mike Granthum said.

“You have to make sure it’s dry. Because there’s no point in doing anything inside, water will get in anyway.”

Granthum says the interior work could take years. But when it’s done, the prison will be a state-of-the-art facility.