Demolition to start next Monday at Grant jail site

EPHRATA — People driving by the site of the new Grant County Jail will start seeing the existing buildings coming down Jan. 15. The jail will be built on the site of the old Ephrata Raceway, and the grandstands, ticket booth, concession stand and track are still in place. Grant County Central Services Director Tom Gaines said demolition of all of that will start next month. The contractor is Sellen Construction, Seattle. While there hasn’t been much visible work at the site, there’s been work underway, Gaines said. Testing found asbestos and lead paint in some of the structures, and petroleum products in the pit area and on the racetrack. Crews have already removed hazardous materials from the buildings and the site, he said, preparatory to demolition. “All the environmental hazards have been remedied,” he said.