VILLE PLATTE, La. (KLFY) -- The long-running effort to build a new jail in Evangeline Parish took a slight but temporary detour, according to Evangeline Parish Sheriff Charles Guillory.

In an open letter released Friday, Guillory said negitiations for the parish to purchase an existing prison began in October, but did not pan out.

Guillory said he was contacted by GEO Group, owners of both Pine Prairie and Basile Detention Center prisons, asking if he was interested in purchasing the Pine Prairie Detention Center. That facility, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing center, announced plans to close Jan. 1. Those plans were reversed, and the facility is still in operation by ICE.

"My response was that am very interested in purchasing the Pine Prairie facility," Guillory said. "So, negotiations began but were only short lived on their part. After several attempts to continue negotiations, all contacts stopped."

The detour was the latest setback in the parish's attempt to build a new jail, with the use of a $25 million bond. A request for bids for the construction of the new jail was issued, but Guillory rejected all four bids received in September in that process.

But the delay has a bit of a silver lining, according to Guillory.

"Our Bond attorneys along with Hancock Whitney Bank (who acquired the Bond allocation) secured a fair market interest rate on the money borrowed," he said. "At the same time, the money borrowed is earning an interest rate greater than what was borrowed. In other words, it's earning money while sitting in the bank."

Guillory said new bids are still scheduled to be solicited in the new year.

"New bid offers for the construction of the Evangeline Parish Detention Center Prison Complex will take effect as scheduled at the end of February provided there are no changes or problems," Guillory said. "These bids are open to the public."

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