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 shipping because the bunks must be manufactured on the East Coast. "So that total number would be about $70,000 to do this," Crone said. He told commissioners that if the county places an order before larger regional purchases, lead time is likely six to eight weeks; if the county is pushed behind other orders, lead time could extend to four to six months. Crone said work to remove affected bunks had already begun and deputies had left to pick up temporary bunks offered by Josephine County.

Crone said the jail had released six inmates with imminent scheduled release dates to reduce the population; he said the jail was at 22 inmates yesterday and 16 this morning. He described the release decisions as made using a previously established matrix (in place since about 02/2017) that considers remaining sentence length, crime severity and risk, criminal history, parole or probation status and community danger risk. Crone added that the county will first apply state-mandated criteria (described in the meeting as the state legislative "48" criteria) and then use the local matrix to decide between incoming intakes and those already in custody.

Commissioners voted unanimously, 3-0, to increase the capital improvement project fund for the jail by $70,000 and to temporarily reduce the jail's operational bed capacity from 35 to 16 pending completion of the emergency maintenance work. The motions were moved and seconded on the record; the board recorded the outcome for each motion as passing 3-0. The meeting record does not identify by name which commissioner moved or seconded each motion.

Crone said two bunks previously purchased through a CIS grant have already been installed and that, after this work, the county expects to have bed space covering every cell; he said the facility's total physical bed spaces (including holding cells not normally counted in daily population) is 38. Crone also noted the county has applied for federal appropriation/reimbursement and said in the best-case scenario the costs would be reimbursed.

Commissioners discussed staffing and transfer options. Crone told the board that neighboring Coos County could not accept the county's inmates because of its own staffing limits; Josephine County offered temporary bunks the county could install to preserve in-county housing. Commissioners asked staff to explore whether other facilities could temporarily house inmates so the county could avoid releasing people back into the community if population pressures increase.

The Board adjourned at approximately 11:20 a.m. after directing staff to proceed with the emergency purchase and the temporary capacity change. The county will place the bunk order promptly to try to meet the shorter lead time and will use borrowed bunks from Josephine County in the interim.

Votes at a glance - Increase capital improvement project fund for jail by $70,000: approved, 3-0. - Temporarily reduce operational jail bed capacity from 35 to 16 pending completion of emergency maintenance: approved, 3-0.