NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – The jail in the city’s public safety building closed about two months ago for renovations because the upgrades have been tougher than the city’s police department planned.

The North Myrtle Beach Police Department wanted locking system upgrades to its jail after an inmate followed a construction worker and escaped in 2016. Now the jail has secured outdoor gates and new locks to replace the original ones from the 1980s.

However, police say they realized the jail needed a lot more repairs.

“Some of the wiring in the building we found was very old, so we had to replace that,” said Capt. Michael Baldasarre with North Myrtle Beach police. “Just things like that, that threw us a curveball.”

The jail stopped housing inmates in early April so crews could make renovations inside.

Anyone arrested was sent about 40 minutes away to J. Reuben Long Detention Center in Conway.

“How to properly coordinate that and organize that has been impactful, but we do have a prisoner transport van, which can take multiple individuals, which has been really useful,” said Sgt. Carrie Rose, who supervises North Myrtle Beach’s jail. “It will alleviate the problem of prisoner transport, to have to go out to Conway, whereas we’re a short-term facility.”

A new roof was put on the jail, which cost about $250,000. Workers also had to reconnect wiring from the air conditioning system, radio tower and dispatch center to the generator. The dispatch center also received software upgrades.

Security upgrades were also added like new cameras, as well as intercoms in each of the jail’s 24 cells. Door locking systems have also been replaced and connected to upgraded software.

A new concrete floor has replaced the former tile surface. The walls and cells are also being freshly painted.

Capt. Baldasarre says while the final cost of the renovation is unknown right now, it’s likely gone up.

“I’m sure it has,” he said. “Just wiring things, where an electrician had to come in and redo things. A lot of the stuff we were able to do in-house with city employees.”

Capt. Baldasarre also says the goal is to reopen the jail this weekend because all the major projects have been completed.