Public hearing planned on site recommended for Grant County Jail

EPHRATA — The Grant County Commissioners announced Wednesday they will have a public hearing on the recommended location for the new Grant County Jail.

Grant County Sheriff Tom Jones said the recommended site is adjacent to the existing work release center, 1631 Division Ave., in Ephrata. It was one of two sites in Ephrata under consideration. The county-owned site is about six acres.

The online public hearing is scheduled for 3 p.m. Feb. 22.

Grant County voters approved a three-tenths of 1% sales tax increase in November 2020 to pay for the jail project. During the campaign for the proposition, Jones said the tax would generate about $6 million per year, with about $2.3 million of that going to cities, according to Columbia Basin Herald archives.

Jones said a county law and justice committee was formed as part of the selection and construction process. County officials hired CRA Architects, in Tallahassee, Florida, to work with the law and justice committee to survey possible sites and make a recommendation.

The committee had three finalists, and in the end recommended the land near the work release center.

The commissioners will accept written comments through Feb. 19. Comments can be mailed to the commission office, P.O. Box 37, Ephrata, WA, 98823.

Oral comments during the online public hearing will be limited to two minutes. People who want to testify or listen can access the hearing by calling 408-418-9388, and using access code 146 649 4010.

The land is within the Ephrata city limits, and the city will have another hearing process, Jones said.

People who have questions about the hearing can contact the commission office at 509-754-2011, extension 2091.

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at [email protected].