Proposed Grant County Jail site discussed at public hearing

EPHRATA — The Grant County commissioners will vote next week on a recommendation for the site of the new Grant County Jail and had a hearing Monday to take public comment.

The proposed site is next to the county’s existing work release center, at 1631 E. Division Ave., in Ephrata.

Tom Gaines, director of central services, said during the hearing county officials hired CRA Architects, in Tallahassee, Florida, to select the site and to design the new facility.

Architects narrowed it down to three sites: county-owned property behind the current jail in Ephrata; a county-owned site on Randolph Road, near Moses Lake; and the site near the county’s work release center.

The site behind the current jail is too small, Gaines said. The Randolph Road site would have been the most expensive to develop and is too far from the superior and juvenile courts.

The Division Avenue site will be the least expensive to develop, Gaines said.

Commissioner Rob Jones asked about a construction timeline.

“We’re probably a year away from beginning construction,” Gaines said.

There’s a separate site approval process for the city of Ephrata, Gaines added. Design begins once a site is chosen.

Gaines estimated construction would take about six to eight months.

Grant County Sheriff Tom Jones said part of the site selection process included a study of possible population growth through 2040, which was estimated from 35,000 to 38,000 people. Combined with data on inmate populations, Jones said architects recommended the county build a 512-bed jail.

The current jail has 185 beds, but originally it was built for 85, Jones said. The minimum-security work release facility has 100 beds.

The current work release building would not be demolished, but it would be remodeled, Jones said. Among the possibilities discussed for that building have been a mental health facility or substance abuse treatment center.

Rebecca Pettingill asked if all inmates would be housed in the new jail, or be split between the old and new jails. All inmates would be housed at the new facility, and the existing jail would be repurposed, Jones said.

Commissioner Cindy Carter said commissioners talked last year about including a courtroom in the new facility for some hearings, but most court functions would stay in the Grant County Courthouse.

Elisia Dalluge asked whether moving the jail away from the courtrooms would increase transportation costs. Jones said he didn’t think so.

Commissioners also received one comment, suggesting the new jail should include an office for jail chaplains.

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at cschweizer@columbiabasinherald.com.