The Webster County Board of Supervisors will soon see a floor plan and estimated construction cost for a potential new county Law Enforcement Center.

Webster County Sheriff Luke Fleener talked to the board on Tuesday to give an update on the project that was introduced to the board several months ago. In early January, Fleener had given a presentation to the supervisors and the Fort Dodge City Council on the results of a jail study to see if the county had a need for a new jail or LEC.

The current Webster County Law Enforcement Center, located at 702 First Ave. S., is nearly 40 years old and the departments housed in the building have simply outgrown the space, the sheriff said during the January meeting.

Last year, Webster County spent nearly a quarter of a million dollars to house jail inmates in other counties because the Webster County Jail lacked either the space or the staffing needed.

On Tuesday, Fleener said in recent weeks, he’s been working with the consulting firm The Samuels Group, of West Des Moines, and Venture Architects, of Wisconsin, on developing a design for the proposed building.

“We’re trying to narrow down the ‘must-haves’ and the ‘would-like-to-haves’ in an effort to put together a plan and get an idea of what this building could cost,” he said.

In addition to developing a design for the building, the firms are also determining the cost impact that it would have on the citizens of Webster County. That report should be to the supervisors by the end of the month, he said.

This project is still in its infancy stages, and a potential location hasn’t been determined yet.

The supervisors also heard from Jason Comisky, a legal consultant from Ahlers & Cooney P.C. in Des Moines, on the possibility of establishing a joint building authority board with the city of Fort Dodge to govern and fund the project.

The county last looked at building a new LEC in 2001.