County will chip in for jail renovation
By Terry Murry on Thursday, December 2nd, 2021 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
PENDLETON – The Umatilla County Board of Commissioners has approved hiring 2KG Contractors to renovate the Umatilla County Jail. The board also approved the process for creating a revolving fund of $2 million to help the city of Pendleton develop infrastructure for housing development.
The jail project has been in the works since 2019. Board Chairman George Murdock said the money that seemed plenty then is no longer enough to cover the cost of the $2.883 million project. The funding from the state is about $1.8 million. Murdock said they’ve worked with Chief Financial Officer Robert Pahl and have found enough money to make up the difference.
“The need that was identified in the first place is never going to go away and it’s never going to become cheaper, so it was best to bite the bullet and move forward,” Murdock said.
The renovation includes increasing capacity in the booking area, creating new inmate cells for detox, medical, and holding purposes, and making technology upgrades. The break room will also be remodeled.
The board also unanimously approved the formal process of establishing a revolving fund to help the city of Pendleton pay for infrastructure on undeveloped land that will be used for housing.
“As soon as evidence is provided as to when the city’s going to begin the infrastructure development, the money’s going to be transferred from the county to the city,” Murdock said.
