After five years that included construction delays and legal woes, Butler County officials this morning finally had a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new prison.

County Commissioner Dale Pinkerton, board chairman, said everyone was relieved to reach this mark.

"We have gone through more growing pains. ... We'll be so thrilled to be cutting the ribbon," he told a crowd of about 100 people outside the prison entrance on South Washington Street.

The new prison will be fully operational July 1 when all of the county's inmates will be housed there.

As of today, there were 134 inmates in the Vogely Street building with another 52 in the temporary prison annex in the city tier garage.

An additional 69 inmates were housed in other county prisons because of overcrowded conditions at the old prison.

Warden Rich Gigliotti said at today's prison board meeting the work-release inmates will be brought into the new building next week with the remainder arriving by July 1.

County Controller Jack McMillin estimated the final cost of the project will be $44 million, excluding additional costs such as legal expenses caused by various lawsuits involving construction.

About $2 million of that will be covered by the company insuring the work of first general contractor who walked off the job in 2007.