Goodgame Company, Inc. held a Topping Out Ceremony on Oct. 21, at the new St. Clair County Jail.

The Topping Out Ceremony is an age-old tradition that takes place when the last beam is set on a project. The beam has traveled across the entire county so that elected officials, county employees, and the sheriff department’s staff could sign their name to it.

“The Topping Our Ceremony is a great event in the life of a project. This is a milestone in the construction of a building,” said Jason Goodgame, vice-president of Goodgame Company. “All tradesmen on the project join in the celebration as well as the supervisors, representatives of the architecture and engineering firms, and the owner and/or representatives.

“This ceremony celebrates the accomplishments of the work force for its hard work and safety throughout the project. This being such a complicated structure, we are happy to close on schedule, within budget, and with over 150,000 safe man hours to date.

“When the jail opens in the first quarter of 2023, it will house all of St. Clair County’s prisoners and save the county from paying to house prisoners in other towns.”