The Escambia County Jail.

It may finally be time to chose a site for a new Escambia County Jail.

County Commissioners have a special meeting set for 5 p.m. Nov. 12 to chose from three finalists for a location to build a new jail — a project with an estimated $161 million price tag.

The project will be a huge construction undertaking and will have implications on public safety and government spending, both things that the Studer Community Institute believes are important to track as part of the quality of life in the community.

The finalists are:

— Palafox and Airport: Property that used to house Southern Prestressed Concrete at Airport Boulevard and Old Palafox near Car City. It will cost approximately $3.5 million to acquire.

The Palafox and Airport Boulevard site for a new Escambia Jail.

— Brent Lane: This privately held land has never been developed. It would cost $2.85 million to acquire.

The Brent Lane site for a new Escambia Jail.

— Mid-Town Commerce site: This is on property that was part of the relocation by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency of residents near the Escambia Treating Superfund site. It has no acquisition costs. the county would have to pay $45,000 annually to maintain the environmental monitoring on the property.

The Mid-Town Commerce Site for a new Escambia Jail.

Here is the PowerPoint that county officials have used to brief residents and commissioners on the pros and cons of each site.

Historic flooding last April led to a natural gas leak that caused an explosion in the 697-bed Central Booking and Detention Facility. That incident killed two inmates, paralyzed a corrections officer, injured 184 people and rendered the building unusable.

Commissioners are pursuing building a new jail with 1,476 beds, one big enough to accommodate the space that was in Central Booking as well as the existing jail, which remains in need of millions of dollars in upgrades itself.

The next round of local option sales tax funding included $37 million for upgrades and improvements at the main jail and $8 million in upgrades at Central Booking.

That money was spread over fiscal years 2018-2027.