NATCHEZ — Adams County officials will meet later this month to discuss the possibility of building a new jail facility.

Adams County Sheriff Chuck Mayfield told the board of supervisors Monday that he would be meeting Aug. 28 with experts to discuss the feasibility of building a new jail.

While the sheriff emphasized that the meeting was just “a fact-finding session,” he said something will have to be done soon.

The county jail on State Street is deteriorating and the costs of maintenance, and repairs are skyrocketing, he said.

The sheriff invited the supervisors, County Administrator Joe Murray and Board Attorney Scott Slover to attend the meeting.

Supervisor Mike Lazarus said he would be willing to examine the costs of building a new facility versus what the sheriff currently has to pay to continue operating the existing jail.

“I’ll look at it, but it’s all about the numbers,” Lazarus said.

In other news:

• The supervisors approved a request from County Emergency Manager Stan Owens to purchase a new Chevrolet Tahoe for his office.

The purchase will be funded by funds the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency sends at the end of every year. If MEMA has extra funds, that money is sent down to the various local agencies, Owens said, and he has been putting those funds aside for some time.

“No local funds will be involved in this,” Owens said.

• The supervisors heard a report from County Information Technology Director Lance Bishop, who said that the county has been able to save approximately $180,000 in maintenance costs by upgrading equipment in the last year.

• The supervisors voted to allow former International Paper employees to use the Adams Coutny Extension Service Office — which was at one time an IP building — for an employee reunion later this year.

Former IP worker Greg West said the use of the building would have a special resonance with the former employees.

“We hope the county will allow us to meet there because at that building we got the official announcement (IP would close) but also because we had many meetings of family and friends there over the years,” he said.

• During the public comments portion of the meeting, the board heard from John Lawrence Kanazawa Jolley, who said he has been canoeing across the country for some time.

Jolley said his journeys have shown him the way to save the earth, which would — he said — absolutely require the removal of the world’s dams and the collection of rainwater in cisterns.

After he spoke, the supervisors thanked Jolley for his time and he left.

• The board met in executive session to discuss the job performance of an employee, the sale of Natchez Regional Medical Center and the lease of a warehouse to the Natchez-Adams County Port Commission.