New Grant County Jail expected to open by year's end

EPHRATA — Nearly four months after the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Grant County Jail, county officials say the facility is expected to begin housing inmates before the end of the year as staff continue training and final technology issues are addressed. 

The new Grant County Jail officially opened with a ribbon-cutting on June 17, but inmates have yet to be transferred into the facility.

According to Grant County Sheriff's Office Public Information Officer Kyle Foreman, officials expect the move to occur by year’s end but have not set a public date.

"We do not have an official established date yet," Foreman said. "We're anticipating the move in the next couple of months."

Foreman said jail staff continue working with courts, attorneys and service providers to ensure systems are ready before inmates arrive. Among the remaining projects is the installation of a distributed antenna system designed to improve radio communications inside the building.

The sheriff's office is also testing locks, cameras, communication equipment and other security systems throughout the facility.

"The security of the facility is number one," Foreman said. "The safety of the community is also held in high regard, and we want to make sure that this place is secure before occupying it with jailed inmates."

Foreman said July 24 was the first target occupancy date. Additional occupancy goals were later established but not met as staff continued working through technical issues and system testing.

"There have been a couple of other times where we set other goals, and the goals couldn't be achieved because we could not assure that we had all the little issues fixed," he said.

Sheriff Joey Kriete said the most recent delay was tied largely to employee notification requirements and scheduling changes needed for the move.

"We had some contractual collective bargaining agreement issues we had to work through as far as notifications go, so that's why we had our last change of our schedule," Kriete said.

Kriete said staffing levels are currently strong heading into the transition.

"As of right now, staffing is looking really good," Kriete said. "I believe we currently have one opening."

He added that the facility will open in phases rather than immediately utilizing all available space.

"We do have to open in phases for the safety and security of all those involved, not just our staff, but also the inmate population as well," he said.

    Installation of a new radio communications system, staff training and testing of security features such as locks, cameras and communication equipment have contributed to delays in opening the new Grant County Jail. Officials say the facility is expected to begin housing inmates before the end of the year once final safety and operational concerns are addressed.