A month ago, Mercer County Jail Warden Jeffrey P. Gill stressed the importance of establishing a transition team for the new jail, a step he considered every bit as vital as the actual work going on at the Findley Township site.

He got his wish Monday when the Mercer County Prison Board named five people to the team: three full-time jail employees -- Capt. Erna Craig and guards Paul Applegarth and Phil Hartsock -- and two part-time guards, Cynthia Reed and Michael Lytle.

Gill said, "This is actually to me as important as building the facility is to have the transition team to set everything up. I anticipate them being busy from now until the day we move in."

The team will be responsible for developing and rewriting all policies and procedures for the 265-bed jail that is scheduled to open in early 2005.

"We not only have to train the new hires but also have to retrain the current staff for the new facility," Gill said.