Sheriff's office says morgue, storage project near completion; dispatch radio cutover faces Oroville link issue

Mike Ford of the Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office told commissioners the county’s morgue and sheriff’s storage construction has progressed to the point that a change order has added 30 days to the schedule and a targeted substantial completion date of Nov. 22 has been set. “We completed the change order, last week,” Ford said. He said crews encountered and repaired a new water line while digging, and the issue was fixed quickly. Ford said the contractor has submitted change order No. 4 and approved small change orders; the next pay application is under review and staff expect to use American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars to fund the next payment.

Ford also reported progress on the dispatch radio console hardware installation and an imminent cutover. The county is ready to perform the cutover but faces a technical problem connecting to the Oroville base radio: current connectivity uses a VPN over the internet and doesn’t meet either Washington Department of Transportation or regional radio‑system security requirements. The presenter said staff will make a site visit to confirm line‑of‑sight and asked DOT for assistance to reestablish a compliant link to Oroville Police Department’s base radio.

Commissioners asked whether the contractor will meet the extended completion date. Ford said most outstanding work is interior finishing and a small amount of paving for ramps; “the items that are hanging out there … are small finishing‑type items,” he said, and added he expects the timeline to be met absent weather or paving scheduling issues. He also said fencing and gates are in place and pay‑application paperwork is moving through procurement.

Next steps identified during the briefing included: processing the submitted change order for the consent agenda, reviewing the pending pay application so the county can use ARPA funds as planned, and continuing work to reestablish a secure, DOT‑compatible radio connection to the Oroville site. Commissioners asked staff to report back if the radio cutover risks the schedule or public safety dispatch connectivity.

No formal vote was recorded during the update. The change order and pay application were described as submitted and in review but not as finalized board actions.