Curry County approves $70,000 for emergency jail bunk replacements, temporarily cuts capacity to 16

Curry County commissioners on April 4 approved an emergency $70,000 capital allocation to replace damaged bunks in the county jail and voted to temporarily reduce the facility's operational capacity from 35 beds to 16 while repairs proceed.

Lieutenant Jeremy Crone, Curry County jail commander, told the Board of Commissioners the county discovered conditions in the jail that required "immediate and efficient remediation." Crone said staff consulted the county's insurer and contacted contractors; because the jail's HVAC is interconnected with dispatch and staff offices, on-site remediation would require evacuating the facility. Crone said the county's chosen approach is to remove affected materials and handle replacement off-site, a plan that will temporarily reduce available beds and limit transports into the county "like COVID, how we did in the past."

The county received a quote to replace the affected bunks and related items; Crone said the vendor recommended planning for about $12,000 in…