NEW ORLEANS, La. (WGNO) – “[It’s a] very, very big day,” according to Orleans Parish Sheriff Marlin Gusman. On Monday morning, authorities began the process of moving inmates to the new Inmate Housing Facility on 2900 Perdido Street. The transfer is scheduled for completed by the end of the week.

Sheriff Marlin Gusman told WGNO that the new jail is “smaller and safer” and “definitely better,” but he did admit that the current facility cannot house the mentally ill and those inmates are currently being kept at a prison in Baton Rouge.

Sheriff Gusman also called out the City, saying they need ‘to take action and responsibility’ and that “a lot of these legal maneuverings by the City have been a waste of time”– referencing the recent legal battle between the City and the Sheriff’s Office over housing standards. The City ended up granting a temporary permit to the Sheriff’s Office earlier this month, and that’s why this transferring process has begun.

The 433,409-square-foot innovative structure is located on the site of the previous Templeman III and IV jail facilities that were demolished in 2007. The new structure replaces jail facilities that were severely damaged during Hurricane Katrina and the temporary inmate housing tents constructed following the storm. FEMA funded an overwhelming majority of the $150 million price tag.

The move into the new housing facility is the culmination of Sheriff Gusman’s 10-year effort to provide a safe, modern, secure jail for inmates and deputies. The inmate housing facility, intake processing center and administration building marks the second completed phase of the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office Correctional Complex. The kitchen/warehouse facility opened in 2013.