Inmates began preparing and serving meals in the Lincoln CountyJail last week.

The jail kitchen is expected to reduce the costs of inmates’meals.

Previously, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department, whichadministers the jail, had a contract with a private company tosupply three meals a day to the inmates. That contract cost thecounty more than $6 an inmate per day, said Sheriff WileyCalcote.

By handling food services themselves, Calcote said, those costscan be cut in half. The first day’s meals cost the county only$2.75, for instance, and included a lunch of hamburger steaksmothered in gravy and onions, green beans, mashed potatoes, a rolland jello, he said.

The jail averages an inmate population of around 65 inmates,Calcote said, so “the savings are significant and should benoticeable immediately.”

Other menu items that will be provided from the jail kitchen forlunch and dinner include grilled chicken, roast beef, rice andgravy, fish and ham.

A breakfast menu includes eggs, sausage, grits, bacon, juicesand milk.

“They can’t select them and not all of them are available everyday, of course, but it allows us to provide some variety,” Calcotesaid.

Three inmates participating in the voluntary inmate work programstaff the kitchen. They are overseen by one jailer.

The cooks go to work about 5 a.m. and stay through the eveningmeal and kitchen clean up, the sheriff said.

The jail kitchen is only one of several projects getting underway or still being planned to save the county money, he said.

“We’re just starting to get some things going now where peoplewill be able to see that it’s going to make a difference,” Calcotesaid. “We’re glad to be able to put it into place to try and savesome money. There was a lot of skepticism and people who said itcouldn’t be done. Well, it’s been done and it will continue.”

A second project related to the jail kitchen also started lastweek when the sheriff’s department made a controlled burn to clearapproximately 10-12 acres of land on First Street for a jailgarden.

Inmates will work the garden in the evening after participatingin other work crew projects.

The garden should further lessen the costs of inmates’ mealsbecause the sheriff’s department will be buying less vegetables,Calcote said.

“I will continue to search for other areas where we can savemoney be doing things differently or more efficiently,” hesaid.